this is the place to post articles on any issue not related to construction projects. this thread is also for discussion of the articles. for example to daylight savings article would be put in here and discussed then new articles posted, to stop so many threads being created and us loosing track.

I wish I could find more info about Perths future road projects-I have spent hours forraging through Main Roads website to no avail>(

prob cause rail is the way to go:okay:

But what of the poor motorists?
Rail is not the magic bullet you know,I say this despite enjoying riding on trains myself occasionally,and not having to deal with the "stress" of driving.

Giant Coles will join Buy WA push
http://www.thewest.com.au/pictures/250-gen17stic13.jpg
WA PRODUCERS are set to get a boost with supermarket giant Coles joining a Statewide campaign to promote local goods.

The Buy WA campaign was launched in May with independent supermarkets Dewsons, Supa Valu and Foodland and the Department of Industry and Resources.

The campaign involves supermarkets promoting WA goods supported by posters, stickers and advertising. It aims to give local producers and manufacturers better access to State and national supermarkets backed by the department's Retail Ready Program.

Independent supermarkets estimate sales of WA groceries increased 10 per cent while 55 per cent of shoppers surveyed said the campaign had influenced their buying choices that day.

"Through this campaign we aim to raise the profile of WA food and beverage products in local and national supply chains to show support to retailers who stock locally produced food and beverages," State Development Minister Clive Brown said.

Mr Brown, who will launch Coles' involvement today, said Coles spent more than $300 million on WA goods and services in 2002. It included $60 million worth of fruit and vegetables, $57 million of meat products, $22.5 million in diary and $20 million of seafood.

Stage two of the initiative would also result in more involvement from suppliers and qualified producers would be encouraged to use the logo on their products, advertising and stationery.

The campaign has already seen results for WA-owned herb, spice and mustard company Whittingtons, with sales boosted 12 per cent.

Part-owner Michael Braybrook said a further 10 per cent to 15 per cent increase was possible through the expansion of the Buy WA program.

The Osborne Park company hopes the campaign will help it break into the national market.

This would result in a five-fold increase in sales which would also benefit the 15 WA growers who currently supplied the raw materials, Mr Braybrook said.

Thousands of families got an early start to their Christmas shopping with two suburban shopping centres opening their doors yesterday. Westfield Carousel and Innaloo reported that crowds were similar to a busy Saturday shopping.

Christmas Sunday trading starts next month with centres allowed to open on December 14 and 21 from 10am to 5pm. But shopping centres are allowed one Sunday of their choosing each year. Earlier this year, the WA Government decided not to introduce Sunday trading.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20031117/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto115790-pic22082.html

Do any WA brewers make a dark beer,or ale?

yea a couple make ale iv forgotten what they r called.

Perth Airport wins AAA top honours
Perth Airport has been voted the best Australian Major Airport for 2003 by the Australian Airports Association (AAA).

The award of Australian Major Airport of the Year was presented at the AAA Awards dinner held in the Great Hall of Parliament House last night, November 18, 2003.

Chief Executive Officer of Perth Airport Graham Muir accepted the award from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services the Hon. John Anderson MP, at the gala presentation.

"I am delighted to accept the award on behalf of the team at Perth Airport and our many industry partners," Mr Muir said.

"I extend special congratulations to Broome International Airport on their win as Australian Regional Airport of the Year. It's great to see two WA airports being recognised for achievements during the year," Mr Muir said.

Perth Airport has won the award based on major achievements in 2002/03 including:

#An agreement reached with airlines on aeronautical charges for a five-year period commencing July 1, 2002, which underpinned EBITDA growth of 27 per cent to $59 million.

#Completion of a capital restructure reinstating Standard & Poors investment-grade credit rating.

#Achievement of a record 10 per cent growth in passenger numbers, supported by strong growth in the domestic sector.

#Successful introduction of Emirates and Air Paradise International services to Perth.

#Successful purchase and take-over of the former Ansett Terminal, which is now known as the Multi-User Domestic Terminal.

#Completion of major refurbishment and upgrades to the retail concourse at the international terminal and an achievement of a 6 per cent increase in retail revenue per passenger compared to 2001/02.

#Expansion of the domestic car park including the new fastTRACK Business Parking completed to accommodate growing demand.

#Initiation of an Environmental Management System.

Perth Airport welcomed 5.3 million passengers in 2002/03; 1.6 million international passengers and 3.7 million domestic passengers.

Domestic passenger numbers continue to grow strongly reflecting the continued availability of discount airfares from Qantas, Virgin Blue and Skywest airlines. Over 380,000 domestic passengers arrived at or departed the airport during October 2003, making this the busiest month on record.

International passenger numbers are also showing positive growth in October 2003, with a 3% increase compared to October 2002.
A number of projects are currently underway to expand facilities at Perth Airport including:

#A new taxiway and additional international aircraft parking bays;
#Expansion of the international terminal to accommodate additional check-in counters and an upgraded baggage handling system;
#A new long-term domestic car park; and
Infrastructure to support several new tenancies.
http://www1.perthairport.com/content.aspx?ContentID=260

State acts on Peel deviation
The State Government has bought forward a special allocation of $800,000 this financial year to undertake detailed geotechnical and design works for the Peel Deviation.

Planning and Infrastructure Alannah MacTiernan said this would form the basis of a new submission for Federal funding assistance.

"This design work has never been required before when applying for such assistance," Ms MacTiernan said.

"But in light of Federal Government excuses that the absence of such planning was stopping funding, we have undertaken the work early.

"In the past two years we have also bought 10 properties in the area at a cost of almost $4million.

In Parliament today, the Minister urged the Federal Government to respond to her request for assistance for the building of the Peel deviation.

"I have written to both Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson in August and new Transport Minister Ian Campbell last month urging a commonsense, collaborative approach for planning and funding of this road," she said.

The letter to Mr Anderson asked him to advise whether there was any truth to Liberal members claims that $50million of Federal funding could be available for this project in 2004.

"But to date, there has been no response to our inquiries," Ms MacTiernan said.

"One can only presume the claims are a fantasy.

"Unfortunately, we have also been unable to get a response from either Mr Anderson or Senator Campbell to our proposal to agree on a timeframe we can both plan for and accommodate.

"We have suggested a timetable for commencement of the project in 2008-09.

"But we have had no response to our inquiries.

"The Peel Deviation is one of Western Australia's key road infrastructure projects and one that has attracted a considerable amount of community interest in recent years.

"Given the cost of more than $200million for the project, it is clear it will only be possible with the support of the Commonwealth.

"Instead of making wild, unsubstantiated claims, Liberal members representing the area should get the Federal Government to come to the negotiating table."

I am glad they are getting onto this now and not putting it off for yonks like the Fucken Orewa-Puhoi M'way over here in NZ.

Will the Peel deviation be freeway standard all the way to where it connects back up with Old Coast Road?

not really sure, the cost would suggest yes, though being well out of the metro area there wouldn't be any major road passing through it and not to much traffic so there could be intersections. though its a bypass so not many roads should go to close to it. it will make travell time to the south west even faster!!! since all the roadworks it takes an hour less to get to margeret river probably!

I couldn't get over how few cars there were between Mandurah and Bunbury,it was like 100km of four lane highway for about ten cars!!!

you were probably there off-peak. in the holiday times it gets pretty busy with the locals heading down

Plateia Hellas Lights Up Northbridge
The unique Plateia Hellas on Lake Street Northbridge, commissioned by EPRA, received an award of commendation for its lighting design in the annual IES Lighting Society awards held on 25 October 2003.

The Plateia, with its striking public artwork of seven decorative polished concrete pillars with complimentary water features, was completed in May last year and honours the contribution of Western Australia’s Greek community to Northbridge.

EPRA Chief Executive Officer Tony Morgan said the illumination of the Plateia had been an important consideration throughout the project, and acknowledged the innovative work of Engineering Technology Consultants (ETC) who had designed the lighting.

“Being such a distinctive public art installation, the lighting of the Plateia was considered to be just as important as any other aspect of the project, and due attention was given to ensuring the feature is accessible to the public and able to be appreciated at any time of day,” he said.

ETC had focussed on the integration of light and associated equipment into the actual artwork design, said ETC Director and Lighting Division Principal Kurt McRae

“Extensive consideration was given to ensuring that lighting integrated to compliment the feature at night, and contributed to the experience and vibrancy of this unique public square,” said Mr McRae.

Mr Morgan said the Plateia, which will ultimately be surrounded by cafés, restaurants and alfresco dining, would become an important community gathering place and the artwork would be a focal point.

Lighting at the Plateia incorporates:

Inground uplighters to each of the side faces of the decorative concrete panels,highlighting appearance, form and texture.
Four 50 strand fibre optic end lights into the central base of each water fountain on a glass plate surround.
One 75 strand fibre optic end light uplighting the faceted ends of each stone slab facing the water fountains.
In addition, the installation has been enhanced through the use of a range of multi coloured colour filters and a rotating colour wheel into each fibre optic illuminator box resulting in changing colours, visible at night.

”When land surrounding the Plateia is fully developed, it is envisaged that this area will be a popular, attractive gathering place in Northbridge,” said Mr Morgan.

Landmark supermarket and apartment development.
EPRA will call for tenders commencing on Saturday 15 November 2003 for a unique integrated supermarket and apartment development in the heart of The Village Northbridge.

The landmark development opportunity, which encompasses retail, commercial and residential components will be on a prime 4 783sqm site fronting Newcastle, Beaufort and Lindsay Streets.

EPRA Chief Executive Officer Tony Morgan said the integrated development would involve the construction of a ground floor supermarket to service Perth’s fast-growing inner urban community, as well as city commuters, with up to 47 residential apartments to be built on the site.

Mr Morgan described the opportunity as a unique one in the Perth property market.

“The development of this particular site is an important part of EPRA’s work in the Northbridge area and will provide an essential community facility through the supermarket component, an economic return through employment opportunities and a mixture of residential apartments,” said Mr Morgan.

“EPRA is seeking an innovative development solution that responds to this rare opportunity and complements Northbridge’s rich inner urban character,” he said.

The development will be required to include, as a minimum:

A supermarket with a gross lettable area of 1200sqm of retail space, Residential based on R100,
Eight Owner Occupied Affordable Housing apartments ranging from one to three bedrooms,
The development will be two to three storeys high and encourage the use of traditional building materials including corrugated iron, steel and timber features as well as recycled brick and limestone work.

“The use of these materials will ensure the development draws reference from existing streetscape elements,” he said.

The buildings should also incorporate full articulation on the ground level, have highly legible primary entrances, incorporate the use of balconies, terraces, windows and active living spaces and provide an integrated parking solution, said Mr Morgan.

The tender closes on 17 December 2003, with the successful proponent expected to be notified by the end of January.

Another sailing coup for Western Australia
Fremantle is to play host to another international yacht race, Tourism Minister Bob Kucera announced today.

"Fremantle will be the only Australian port for the 5-OCEANS race in 2006-7," Mr Kucera said.

"It is an event which is known as sailing's ultimate challenge so it will bring some of the toughest and most exciting sailors in the world to our backyard.

"This comes hot on the heels of securing host port status for the Clipper 2005 Round the World Yacht Race and together the races reinforce Fremantle's return to international yachting prominence.

"Together with the Clipper 2005 race, this successful 5-OCEANS bid means that the Western Australian economy stands to gain a $3.3million boost.

"International bidding is incredibly competitive for such high profile sailing events so we are really excited to have been successful with our bids for both races.

"As with the Clipper Race, Fremantle will be the only Australian stop for these 25 or so solo sailors, which represents quite a coup for the State, and for the Fremantle Sailing Club.

"The visit will provide a valuable jobs boost in the tourism and hospitality industries."

The fleet of up to 25 yachts will arrive at Fremantle Sailing Club about December 2006 and January 2007 for a two to three-week stopover.

"Sailing around the world solo is the toughest challenge any professional sailor can set him/herself," Mr Kucera said.

"Fewer people have achieved this feat than have climbed Mount Everest - it is a truly inspirational event to be involved in."

Competitors will sail in Open 60 and 50 class yachts, known as the Formula One racing machines of the seas.

They will start in September 2006 and undertake five legs, crossing the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Pacific Oceans, during their 27,000-mile trek.

"The field will be international, with entrants expected from France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy, the United States, New Zealand, Japan and Canada as well as Australia," the Minister said.

"This international flavour will ensure a high profile around the world, and bring many visitors to WA during the three-week stopover in January 2007."

Eventscorp, a division of the WA Tourism Commission, ran the bid for both sailing events.

Big crowd kicks off summer music
http://www.thewest.com.au/pictures/250-gen24rock7.jpg
A RECORD crowd piled into Arena Joondalup yesterday for Rock It 2003, the first of the big summer music festivals.

About 23,500 people took advantage of free bus and train travel to the venue, drawn by headline act Powderfinger and the laid-back sounds of Hawaiian roots artist Jack Johnson.

Cooler weather helped stem the usual stream of concert-goers suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion and St John Ambulance officers were required to treat only minor ailments, despite the big crowd.

Joondalup police reported no problems and said the crowd had been well behaved.

Arena Joondalup general manager Dean Solly said the strong line-up had appealed to a mostly older crowd.

Local groups Downsyde and the John Butler Trio had received an enthusiastic reception.

"It is a quality line-up with Powderfinger and the success of their latest album, you couldn't ask for better," Mr Solly said.

Last minute set-up alterations delayed the event's start by 20 minutes and left 5000 people queuing at the gate but organisers reported no other difficulties.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20031124/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto116118-pic22162.html

Utilities may rescue Rottnest
TOURISM Minister Bob Kucera has hinted that government agencies may have to come to the rescue of the Rottnest Island Authority, which says it needs $36 million for rundown infrastructure.

He said the Government had not committed additional resources for a rescue package but had asked the recently announced island task force whether utilities such as Western Power, the Water Corporation and the Department of Conservation and Land Management should take on the cost of providing and servicing Rottnest infrastructure.

Mr Kucera said he believed such costs were a major impost unrelated to Rottnest's tourist enterprise, which was able to cover its expenses from rental revenue.

He had asked the Crown Solicitor to examine a contract made by the previous government with a private contractor which provided most essential services on the island. This would see whether replacement and maintenance could be undertaken by State utilities.

He even indicated the possibility of making Rottnest a local government authority, entitling it to Federal Government money.

Mr Kucera denied that any item of Rottnest Island infrastructure was at breaking point.

Having spent the weekend on Rottnest, Mr Kucera said the task force would produce a clear and innovative action business plan for sustainable measures to return and retain the island's icon status.

But the Opposition attacked the Government's announcement of a task force as an unnecessary expense. Tourism spokesman Rob Johnson branded it a tactic to delay promised expenditure.

He said he had more confidence that Bob the Builder could fix Rottnest's woes better than Bob Kucera.

Mr Johnson said Rottnest's problems were abundant. The Government could start getting on with things today and not wait six months for a task force to tell it the RIA simply had no hope of funding major infrastructure upgrades from rental revenue.

"Bob Kucera may well say we are not just going to throw money at the problem but that is exactly what is needed," he said.

"They need to spend the money they at least promised to for a start."

Mr Johnson said that with the help of government department heads and the relevant ministers, a works program should be possible within a month.

Mr Kucera said he hoped the task force, whose members were expected to be announced this week, could report by April.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20031124/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto116125.html

Biggest air armada to take to the skies
THOUSANDS of Perth people will gaze skyward on December 13 when more than 190 aircraft take part in the biggest flypast seen in WA to commemorate 100 years of flight.

The sky will be alive with the sights and sounds of virtually every type of aircraft in WA - commercial, military and executive jets, turboprops and piston-engine aircraft, vintage, ultra-modern and ultralight.

Some of WA's great aviation personalities will be in the air, including Barry Markham, who flew his Tiger Moth from Perth to England, and his brother John who has restored a magnificent Fox Moth.

Skippers' Aviation will fly six of its passenger aircraft, National Jet Systems will fly one of its four-engine jets while Skywest will showcase its Fokker 100 and a Fokker 50.

The participating aircraft will form up over Cockburn Sound between 2pm and 3pm and will be vectored over Fremantle at 1500 feet and will then descend to 700 feet over Pt Walter and fly up the river at that height past Kings Park and the city before climbing back to 1500 feet over Heirisson Island.

Military aircraft from RAAF Pearce and most civil aircraft from Perth Airport will be vectored separately, probably north of Fremantle off the coast, and slotted into the flypast.

Air traffic control for the event will be co-ordinated from the top of the BankWest Tower and there will be a commentary on a special FM frequency from either Perth or Jandakot.

December 17 is the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first flight at Kittyhawk, North Carolina.

According to organiser Malcolm Yeo, aviation course co-ordinator at Edith Cowan University, there are still slots available for any pilot to join the cavalcade of flight.

"Pilots need to contact us urgently to be part of the event," he said.

Mr Yeo, who started aviation courses in WA schools and universities, said there had been great co-operation from all authorities, particularly Jandakot Airport.

According to Mr Yeo, the flypast will take almost 90 minutes and the organisers are hoping to also have departing commercial jets perform a flypast of the city.

Not heavy metal but heavy in history will be John Markham's 70-year-old Fox Moth, which has been restored to pristine condition.

The Fox Moth has had an extraordinary history, having survived a cyclone in Port Hedland, flown a passenger service to the Shetland Islands off Britain in 1933 and carried hundreds of sick patients for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Best vantage points are expected to be Point Walter, Kings Park and the Esplanade as well as Jandakot Airport.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20031115/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto115723.html

$50 million needed to revive Rottnest
INFRASTRUCTURE on Western Australia's Rottnest Island was in a state of disrepair and an urgent injection of $50 million is needed, WA Auditor-General Des Pearson said in a report tabled today.

Mr Pearson's report on the popular tourist destination and Class A nature reserve said at least $50 million was required over five years to refurbish, repair or replace dilapidated accommodation and power, as well as water and sewerage infrastructure.

Without urgent attention, Mr Pearson said the Rottnest Island Authority (RIA) would "be left with little choice but to reconsider public access and use of the island".

Up to 500,000 people visit Rottnest Island each year.

Mr Pearson said the RIA's financial performance was not sustainable and this in turn was adversely affecting economic, social and environmental performance.

"Put simply, the problem facing the Rottnest Island Authority is that it has insufficient capital to adequately fulfil its obligations," Mr Pearson said.

"Unless there is an injection of substantial funds, that position will continue to decline to a point where there is a real risk for breakdowns in core infrastructure that could well lead to the shutdown of some facilities and a subsequent reconsideration of public access and use of the island."

The RIA's financial position has deteriorated from a small surplus five years ago to a deficit of $1.4 million.

In the absence of an operating surplus, the RIA had allowed a backlog of urgent capital works to both accommodation and infrastructure to build up, and had relied on advance payment for accommodation to support operating cash flow.
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7984741%255E26462,00.html

WA has highest proportion of overseas-born residents
For the first time information on the birthplace, language and religion of the residents of each of Western Australia's local government areas is now available in one comprehensive publication.

Launching 'The People of Western Australia - Statistics from the 2001 Census', the Premier said the new publication was the most complete demographic profile of its kind.

"This publication reveals the true face of Western Australia," Dr Gallop said.

"Western Australia has the highest proportion of residents born overseas of any State or Territory.

"More than a quarter of the Western Australian community was born overseas and more than one in 10 were born in a non-English speaking country.

"Almost another quarter of the community have one or both parents born overseas.

"This means that one in two Western Australians have a connection with another country and culture."

The Premier, who is also Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Interests, said the profile of people living in more than 140 local government areas would prove invaluable in the delivery of appropriate services to WA's diverse community.

Dr Gallop commended the effective collaboration between the State Government's Office of Multicultural Interests and the Commonwealth Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs in producing the publication. He also thanked the Department of Local Government and Regional Development for jointly hosting the launch of the publication.

The Premier also released an information sheet entitled 'Cultural Diversity in Western Australia - A Demographic Profile', produced by the Office of Multicultural Interests.

This information sheet provides a snapshot of the main ethnicity related demographics in WA and is suitable for a wide range of audiences, including students, educators and the general community.

Government committed to a safe and sustainable future for Rottnest Island
The Rottnest Island Taskforce would be given the immediate task of ensuring its plan of action addressed the important health and safety issues raised by the Auditor General today.

The Auditor General made it clear that a legacy of underinvestment, decades in the making, had left the island's accommodation and infrastructure in a dilapidated condition.

"The taskforce will address this issue as a matter of priority," Tourism Minister Bob Kucera said.

"It will bring together experts from a range of Government agencies and utilities who can map out what needs to be done and within what timeframe.

"These are the people who will also be able to give us the most accurate cost assessment for the very complex array of services that need to be delivered.

"As we are all aware a huge array of figures have been bandied about for years - but the truth is no-one really knows what it could cost.

"For the first time in the island's history, the Government is looking at assuming greater responsibility for the provision of infrastructure services such as power, water, conservation and heritage, which will allow the Rottnest Island Authority (RIA) to get on with the business of running the island's tourism and accommodation services.

"The Auditor General points out that money set aside for accommodation upgrades is having to be used to patch up essential services which, because of age and increased pressure on the island, are proving to be unreliable.

"This has another negative consequence in that the costs of the facilities management contract have increased dramatically in the last five years - adding to the financial pressures on the island."

Mr Kucera said he welcomed the Auditor General's report, which highlighted the long-standing issues for the island and sounded a warning for the future.

"I particularly welcome his call for Parliament, the RIA and the community to work together to secure a sustainable future for the island, " he said.

The Minister announced on the weekend the formation of a taskforce that would finalise an action plan to address problems on the island by April 2004.

The Government is in the process of appointing members of the taskforce and developing terms of reference.

"The issues raised by the Auditor General will play an important role in framing the terms of reference," the Minister said.

Mr Kucera said that Rottnest Island had gone from being a low-key holiday island to a complex business operation and one of the jobs of the taskforce would be to assess whether there needed to be a different structure of management.

"Right now, I am asking the board and authority to continue the day-to-day running of the island while the taskforce gets on with its work," he said.

"The most important thing for people to understand is that Rottnest is still a great place to go for a holiday or day trip and these issues, while important, should not stop people enjoying the beauty of the island."

2004 - a year built to last
Events planned for the Year of the Built Environment in 2004 are expected to provide Western Australians with opportunities to find common paths to better living solutions.

Housing and Works Minister Nick Griffiths said the year had several aims, the most prominent of which included encouraging greater community participation in planning the built environment.

Speaking at the launch of the year by the Western Australian Governor and State Patron, Lt Gen John Sanderson, Mr Griffiths said the year offered a platform for State and local governments, industry and the community to be heard on planning and development issues.

"The events organised throughout the Year of the Built Environment will be designed to stimulate community debate and inform the public about how to become involved," the Minister said.

"I hope those events will lead to more people taking part in public meetings and expressing a view on issues to do with the built environment."

The year will be underpinned by an extensive program of activities and events to celebrate WA's buildings, places, structures and their heritage.

"The program will be designed to improve our understanding of how the built environment makes a difference to our quality of life through housing design, shopping centres, roads, rail, parks and recreational facilities," Mr Griffiths said.

He said the year would include several milestones, such as the opening of the $200million Perth Convention Exhibition Centre and the centenaries of His Majesty's Theatre and the city's Horseshoe Bridge.

Some of the community events and projects to be celebrated throughout the year may be considered for funding.

The Year of the Built Environment will promote links to funding groups such as Lotterywest, and a number of current Government funding programs which are all listed on the website

-australia square is 4 sale for $35-40mill
-westpoint are soon shutting down pacific international and are tuning it into flats
-port coogee marketing will start soon

see todays west (property section) 4 more details!

Spend $50m or shut Rotto: report
WEST Australians could be banned from Rottnest Island unless $50 million is spent in the next five years to drag the holiday destination's infrastructure from the brink of collapse.

Poor water, sewerage and other infrastructure are a risk to visitors, staff and the viability of Rottnest as a business, according to Auditor-General Des Pearson.

A report by Mr Pearson tabled in the Legislative Assembly yesterday was scathing on the financial and operational disasters plaguing WA's favourite holiday island.

It contained a litany of poor business practices and decisions, and included a $50 million shopping list to repair the island.

"Without urgent attention, the RIA will be left with little choice but to reconsider public access and use of the island," Mr Pearson said. But he warned against raising the money by increasing accommodation rates, saying it could make the island unaffordable, decrease visitor numbers and kill the island's cash flow.

The RIA's decision to enclose asbestos roofs on ageing cottages instead of removing and replacing them was not forward-thinking, he said. The enclosing technique lasted only seven years and could not be repeated, meaning the roofs would have to be replaced anyway.

The flooring in many units was in such poor condition that they appeared dirty even when freshly cleaned.

Clay sewerage pipes laid before 1935, asbestos pipes installed in the 1940s and galvanised pipes laid in the 1960s all needed repair.

Some pipes were so poorly mapped that they were difficult to find when repairs were done.

Water production costs had jumped 245 per cent in the past five years.

The amount of water and electricity used by visitors was a mystery because no meters were installed, making it hard to determine whether power saving measures actually worked.

Tourism Minister Bob Kucera refused to say he had confidence in the island's management.

RIA chairman Jenny Archibald said the problems had developed over decades and she was happy they had been brought into the open.

But Mr Pearson was critical of the authority's management practices.

Despite recognising the island's problems four years ago, the RIA did not have a costed business plan.

Accommodation fees were paid by holidaymakers up to a year in advance.

But instead of following accepted accounting practice and isolating the money, the island was using it to prop up its day-to-day cash flow.

"If it was a private company it would be in liquidation, I imagine," Mr Pearson said.

Operating costs had blown out, with staff bills jumping 70 per cent in three years. Despite a 1997 RIA management plan which said about 75 staff should be adequate to run the island, numbers have jumped to 108.

Ms Archibald said a call centre established to handle bookings had contributed to the rise but a new on-line booking system should allow a cut in staff.

The Auditor-General's report found that securing Rottnest's future would take a commitment from the RIA, the community and Parliament.

But Mr Kucera said he had doubts about Parliament taking a bipartisan approach to repairing Rottnest after both sides of the Legislative Assembly had traded barbs over who was to blame.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20031127/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto116276.html

Major leasing in "very competitive" Perth market
DB Real Estate and Investa Properties Limited have negotiated a new lease with major resource engineering firm Worley, in the 60,000 square metre QV.1, Office Tower in Perth.

Worley, an existing tenant in QV.1 for eight years, has agreed to a new 10 year lease commencing in January 2006 for Levels 3-7 in QV.1’s low rise.

QV.1, 250 St Georges Terrace, Perth is a 38 level office tower with ground floor, basement level carparking, retail plaza, gymnasium and tennis court. The building has a total net lettable area of 62,862 sqm and was valued at $305 million in June 2003 on a capitalisation rate of 7.25-7.5%. Major tenants include Chevron, Freehills, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Clayton Utz, the Commonwealth Government and Kaiser Engineers. The building is owned 50/50 by Investa and SAS Trustee Corporation.

The lease to Worley for more than 8,000 square metres represents almost 14% of the office tower component of QV.1 and is one of the largest leasing transactions completed in Perth this year. The deal was brokered through CB Richard Ellis as managing agent on behalf of the building owners.

Investa believes that the successful completion of this transaction, in a "very competitive" Perth leasing market, is the result of a pro-active approach in maintaining QV.1 at Premium grade status, and continually improving the building’s technology to meet the market’s requirements.

QV.1 has been able to attract such tenants as Freehills, Clayton Utz and Pricewaterhouse Coopers over the past 18 months. These moves to QV.1 have assisted in consolidating the western sector of the Perth CBD as the "corporate corridor" of Perth.

Mr David Richardson, General Manager – Finance for Worley said " We undertook an extensive and very thorough evaluation of a wide range of relocation options, and despite short-listing several very financially attractive proposals, the leasing proposal negotiated with QV.1 clearly provided the best overall value for money for our organisation and employees. Worley is very pleased to be staying in what we consider to be one of the premier commercial buildings in the Perth CBD, in terms of both tenant facilities and management."

Taxpayers to bail out Rottnest: Kucera
THE State Government yesterday promised to use taxpayers' money to fix Rottnest Island - even if the bill topped $66 million - rather than bring in private operators to bail out the resort.

Despite a finding on Wednesday by Auditor-General Des Pearson that the island may need to be shut unless $50 million was spent in five years, Tourism Minister Bob Kucera said the cost could be much higher. Although he had not yet taken a formal proposal to Cabinet, Mr Kucera said he had a firm indication from other members of the Government that they strongly supported a plan to make Rottnest financially sustainable.

Mr Kucera disputed Mr Pearson's $50 million list of repairs, saying it was probable that Government utilities could do the job for less.

Estimates compiled by successive island authorities had ranged from $33 million to $66 million, he said. The Rottnest Island taskforce - expected to comprise government officials and private business people - is due to examine all options to fix the problems identified by Mr Pearson.

"Where that money comes from is a matter for Government," Mr Kucera said.

"But it may be something as simple as saying well, if it is a sewerage issue, the priorities of the Water Corporation in terms of sewerage will next year be Rottnest as opposed to some other part of the State. So the money stays the same, but you are using your priorities rather than throwing big sums of money at the island."

He all but ruled out suggestions that existing family accommodation be subsidised by proceeds from a luxury resort on the island built by private developers who would pay leases and royalties to the Rottnest Island Authority.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20031128/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto116327.html

Maritime Museum's first anniversary marked with strong attendance figures
Strong attendance figures confirm the success of the Western Australian Maritime Museum as one of Perth's newest tourist attractions.

Culture and the Arts Minister Sheila McHale said the museum had a year of noteworthy achievement.

"Since its opening on December 1, 2002, more than 300,000 people have visited the new Maritime Museum, which is already an award-winning tourist attraction," Ms McHale said.

"The Maritime Museum has recently been acknowledged with an award as Western Australia's best 'New Tourism Development'.

"Tourism is a major component of WA's economy and this new facility is a flagship for our State's cultural tourism development."

The Western Australian Maritime Museum also incorporates the nearby submarine named Ovens and the Shipwreck Galleries on Cliff Street, Fremantle, that recorded more than 155,500 visitors during the same period.

With more than 25,000 annual boarding passes purchased last year, enabling visitors to return as often as they like during the following 12 months, the Maritime Museum also proved popular with the local community.

"This remarkable building has also been recognised by winning several awards including the top prize in the 2003 State Architecture Awards, overall winner of the Master Builders Association Awards and the Engineering Excellence Awards, and a Fremantle Heritage Award," Ms McHale said.

The Maritime Museum will observe its first birthday with a family day of pirate costumes, musical entertainment and children's activities on Sunday, November 30 from 10am to 3pm.

Children's activities will include rope making and knot tying, badge making, face painting, free stickers and a competition to win a family Maritime Museum Annual Boarding Pass.

Guided tours of the galleries will be given at 10am, 11am, noon, 1pm and 2pm

Big money goes down south
AFFLUENT holidaymakers are paying up to $6000 for a week in the most luxurious homes of WA's premier tourist region this summer.

Almost three hectares of gardens, orchards and native bush surround the five-bedroom luxury house called Riverwood on the banks of Margaret River.

It has a swimming pool and spa but also boasts an adventure playground, a gourmet kitchen and theatre system with a big-screen television and speakers throughout the house.

Well-heeled families have rented the house and Eastern States companies are using it as a gift for executives.

Agents say the State's long-held tradition of going down south for a break from the rat race has caught on with tourists from the Eastern States and overseas.

In-House Holidays director Jacqueline Keller said Riverwood was not always occupied in peak season - from December 18 to January 31 - when the asking price is $6000.

Increasing numbers of people from interstate and overseas were choosing the South-West for getaways.

"There is no doubt that market is increasing," Ms Keller said. "Certainly people from interstate and overseas are on the increase."

The region's luxury holiday homes also were popular with Germans, Britons and Americans who were working in Asia, she said.

Unlike many holiday homes, the houses have almost everything found in a normal home and usually have high-quality furniture and homewares.

Between May and August, the Riverwood property rents for $4200 a week and $4950 at other times.

The prestigious home is owned by Poynton and Partners director Tracey Horton, who has put it on the market for $2.65 million.

Most other luxury holiday homes in Margaret River, Eagle Bay, Prevelly and Yallingup rent for between $2000 and $3000 a week during peak season.

Some guests at the exclusive homes bring their nanny to look after the children and often hire chefs and masseurs to add to the holiday experience.

But if the South-West prices appear expensive, people often pay much more to rent holiday homes on the east coast.

Private Properties Booking Agency proprietor Felicity Ruse said that for the price of renting a similar home in the Eastern States, families could fly to WA, hire a car, stay in luxury and return with change in their pockets.

While they seemed expensive, the holiday homes could fit many people, cutting the price for each guest.

Mibremilla in Eagle Bay, a two-storey limestone house set on 2.5 acres of bushland, rents for $2700 a week in peak season.

Prevelly's Beach Break double-storey house sleeps 13 people for almost $3000 per week.

For $2800 a week, a house in the Geographe Cove Resort includes use of the tennis court, spa and pool.

Luxury homes in beachside Perth suburbs such as Cottesloe rent for about $2000 per week in peak season.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20031205/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto116650.html

Premier to promote WA's rich gas reserves to giant US market
Premier Geoff Gallop departed for the United States this morning to promote Western Australia's vast natural resources.

The Premier is leading a delegation of senior resource representatives from the Chamber of Minerals and Energy, Shell Development Australia, Woodside, Chevron Texaco Australia, BHP Billiton Petroleum, Alcoa and Rio Tinto.

Dr Gallop said he would use the eight-day visit to make Americans aware of the huge investment opportunities that existed in WA.

"The purpose of the trip is to help strengthen the economic future of our State," he said.

"A major focus will be on our abundant reserves of natural gas and our record as a stable supplier to markets such as Japan.

"In China earlier this year we also found that the world is hungry for clean sources of energy so we should make every effort to expand our export markets for Liquefied Natural Gas. Tapping into the lucrative American market is a window of opportunity we should not ignore."

North America is regarded as one of the most significant growing markets for imported LNG because of a predicted shortfall between rapidly rising natural gas demand and declining domestic supply.

The Premier said that by 2020, Americans would consume 62 per cent more natural gas than they do today and WA had the potential to help meet some of that demand.

"The State Government supports export development in these areas because it provides more jobs and opportunities for Western Australians," Dr Gallop said.

Two-way trade between WA and the United States totalled $3.3billion in 2002-03.

In California, the trip will include visits to BHP Billiton Petroleum, Chevron Texaco and Shell. In Washington, Dr Gallop will meet senior representatives of the US Administration and Rio Tinto. While in New York, he will deliver a keynote address at the Harvard Business Club, as well as meet senior Alcoa and Woodside executives. In Mexico, the Premier will visit the sites of proposed terminals to import LNG from the Gorgon development to the North American west coast.

WA kicks off its claim for a Super 12 future
Moves to get a fourth Australian team in the Super 12 rugby union competition by the Australian Rugby Union have been welcomed by Sport and Recreation Minister Bob Kucera - and now he wants to know how Western Australia can get a piece of the action.

Mr Kucera said he believed WA had a solid case to argue why it should become the home State for a fourth Australian team.

"From our perspective the time is absolutely right to make the most of the huge momentum created by the success of Rugby World Cup 2003 and to harness the growing enthusiasm for the game," he said.

"The State Government has been preparing the way with the redevelopment of Perth Oval into the rectangular Members Equity Stadium, which has the potential to become the home of a Perth-based Super 12 team."

The Super 12 competition currently includes five New Zealand, four South African and three Australian teams. The competition is run by SANZAR, which is made up of the three national unions. The ARU floated the idea this week that the competition could even expand to include 15 teams.

"WA can also boast the National amateur champions in rugby - with the Perth Gold securing the Australian Rugby Shield recently by being undefeated during the season which is a truly remarkable record," the Minister said.

"We want to get stuck into arguing for inclusion in the Super 12 - so we are keen to find out from the peak bodies what the process and timeframe will be for negotiations."

Mr Kucera met Rugby World Cup 2003 general manager Matt Carroll, who presented a signed Wallaby jersey to the Minister to thank WA for its involvement in the successful event.

"The WA public came out in full force to support all five teams who played in Perth - England, Georgia, Samoa, South Africa, and Uruguay - and help make this tournament such a resounding success," Mr Carroll said.

"Perth's range of city festivities also helped to bring the atmosphere at each of the matches out onto the streets, and I'd like to congratulate the Government and sincerely thank sports fans in WA for throwing their enthusiastic support behind Rugby World Cup 2003.

"We are also grateful to the 84 volunteers in Perth for taking time out to get behind this event and make a valuable contribution."

Mr Kucera said Rugby World Cup 2003 had been a huge event for WA, bringing more than 17,600 visitors to the State, and injecting more than $36million into the local economy.

"I think we have shown enormous capacity to embrace rugby and we are looking for the next opportunity to show off our new-found enthusiasm," he said

City council suspended over CEO dispute
A WEST Australian has been suspended after a long-running dispute over its controversial chief executive.

Local Government Minister Tom Stephens announced today that he had suspended the Joondalup City Council and appointed five commissioners to oversee the city's administration.

Mr Stephens also said an inquiry into the conduct of the council would be launched within six months.

The council has been bitterly divided since it was revealed CEO Denis Smith's claimed educational qualifications were inaccurate.

Questions about Mr Smith's CV have dogged the council for more than two years, prompting an upper house parliamentary inquiry and bitter council infighting.

Mayor Don Carlos and one faction of councillors had been vocal critics of Mr Smith, while others wanted to grant him a payoff of between between $300,000 and $1.3 million if he left.

Furious ratepayers besieged several council meetings this week, refusing to allow the discussions about the possible payoff to go ahead. Police were called at one point as councillors said they feared for their safety.

Mr Stephens said that after consulting the Governor, Lieutenant General John Sanderson, the suspension of the local authority was approved.

"It has become clear to me that the council is seriously dysfunctional and unable to ensure that the City of Joondalup performs its functions properly," Mr Stephens said.

"This situation has been deteriorating for a considerable duration and events over the last fortnight have convinced me that it would be inappropriate for the council to continue to act as the governing body of the City of Joondalup."
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8073251%255E2761,00.html

Naomi, Heath back together
NAOMI Watts and Heath Ledger are back together and getting re-acquainted in Ledger's home town, Perth.

Watts snuck into Sydney yesterday on her way to Perth for today's wedding of Ledger's sister, Kate.
It is believed the wedding is being held on a private property at Margaret River, about 280km south of Perth.

A source close to the couple yesterday confirmed the pair are back together.

Ledger and Watts started dating after working together on Ned Kelly late last year, but broke up due to their hectic work schedules, which meant they were apart for long periods.

She arrived at Sydney airport at 10am on a Qantas flight from Los Angeles yesterday and was in good spirits despite the long flight.

Dressed in a black jacket, jeans and black converse sneakers with her blonde locks tied back, the petite star was grinning when she said she was tired but glad to be back home.

"It's great to be back . . . what happened to the weather?" Watts said.

She said she was looking forward to catching up with family and friends and that she was excited about the reception her latest film, 21 Grams, has received overseas.

Then she was picked up by a driver and headed towards the city.

Following the wedding, Watts will return to Sydney to promote 21 Grams, in which she plays the female lead opposite Hollywood heavyweight Sean Penn and Academy Award winner Benicio Del Toro.

Critics have heaped praise on her performance in the drama, which many agree is her best work so far and her acting is worthy of an Oscar.

Her break in Sydney over Christmas will be the last before she heads back to LA to start her Oscars campaign.

Watts was last in Sydney with Heath Ledger for the Ned Kelly premiere in March.

The 21 Grams premiere, where Watts will walk the red carpet, is on December 14.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8081721%255E10431,00.html

Two bedrooms for $2m
WHAT can you buy in Cottesloe for $2 million these days?

Not much, if yesterday's auction of a 30-year-old, two-bedroom house is anything to go by.

Admittedly, the property at 242 Marine Pde offers some of the best ocean views in WA and has been expertly renovated.

Three bidders in the crowd of 50 vied for the oceanfront property, but it sold to a phone bidder for $2.25 million – $50,000 above the reserve price.

The 364sq m property has rear access from Margaret St.

Agent Jamie Loh said the house was more like a penthouse apartment. "It works out to be about $6200 per square metre, which is a big price for a property on 360sq m but the views of the white sandy beaches right up to Scarborough are sensational," he said.

One street away at 4 Ozone Pde, 85 people turned up for the auction of a classic manor-style house with five bedrooms, three bathrooms and 180-degree views to Rottnest. It also sold for $2.25 million. A few houses away at 14 Ozone Pde, a 1960s house on 675sq m sold before auction for $1.7 million.

Also in Cottesloe, a block of nine units was put up for auction and four sold. Agent James McClements was negotiating with several parties for the remaining five units and was confident of selling them by the end of the weekend.

A liveable three-bedroom house on a duplex block in Sorrento sold for $1,025,000.

South of the river in Applecross, a run-down 1950s house on 1034sq m in Matheson Rd sold for $775,000. The property is only metres from the river and has a 25.75m frontage.

A $903,000 bid wasn't enough to secure an old single-level brick house on 755sq m in Beach St, Bicton.

A beach shack on 911sq m on Ocean Drive in Quinns Rocks was passed in at $622,500.

Channel 7's Hot Auctions program caused a stir when a film crew turned up to record the auction of a property in Carine.

Agent Annie Rodway said it was exciting having the camera crew walking through the crowd and the property sold for $330,000.

"I think they chose this property because it is more affordable and will appeal to the masses," she said.

More than 100 people attended the auction of a two-storey, 10-year-old house on 960sq m in Kingsley and it sold for $595,000.

Agent Mal Davey said it was one of the few homes in the area to sell near $600,000.

A three-bedroom character house in Burt St, North Perth, sold for substantially above the reserve price at $415,000.

A resort-style property on a subdividable 1910sq m lot in Attadale sold for $965,000. The four-bedroom, two-bathroom house comes with a tennis court, pool and spa.

In Canning Vale, a two-storey house with eight bedrooms and five bathrooms on 1ha was passed in at $960,000.

A 30-year-old e house next to a park in Wareen Place, City Beach, with good ocean views was passed in at $1.24 million.
http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,8086228%255E2761,00.html

Goldfields mining parade a giant success
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A MASSIVE haul truck was a major attraction at Kalgoorlie-Boulder's annual St Barbara's Festival parade yesterday.

Traffic signals were dismantled and local power turned off to enable the 7m high truck to make its way through the city.

The parade, which celebrates mining, the historic area's lifeblood for more than 100 years, attracted a crowd of about 10,000.

St Barbara is the patron saint of mining and the annual festival named after her is one of Kalgoorlie-Boulder's most popular events.

Parade organisers were overjoyed by the show of public support for the fifth annual parade, which had crowds lining the length of Hannan Street in Kalgoorlie and packing balconies.

The 122 entries ranged from a penny farthing bicycle to two camels and the huge, 300-tonne truck, which was the highlight for many spectators.

The WMC nickel smelter float won the parade's mining category and South Kalgoorlie Primary School won the schools' section for its futuristic garden float.

The 99-year-old Amalgamated Prospectors and Leaseholders' Association's entry clinched the community award.

Festival chairman Gary Lye said it was the biggest number of entries and turnout in the history of the parade.

"I think Kalgoorlie-Boulder really is the greatest role model when it comes to mining and community integration," he said.

Officially titled "The Placer Dome Asia Pacific Parade" it was co-ordinated by the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Chamber chief executive Hugh Gallagher said the highlight of this year's event was the people involved.

WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy eastern regional council chairman John Shipp said companies and the community had shown their support for the industry through the parade.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20031208/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto116767-pic22306.html

Free Parking for Christmas Shoppers
Free parking will be available for city shoppers on the two weekends before Christmas.

City of Perth Parking (CPP) is offering free parking from 10am to 4pm at the Terrace Road and Entertainment Centre car parks on Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 December and Saturday 20 & Sunday 21 December.

The Perth Tram will make free trips between the car parks and the city during those times to make it easy for shoppers to transport their presents.

Chief Executive Officer Frank Edwards said the move was part of Council’s commitment to supporting local business and helping people at the busiest shopping time of the year.

"With the festive season about to get into full swing, the city’s streets will be getting busier with longer shopping hours and consequently increased traffic flows," Mr Edwards said.

"We hope that the free parking will assist to make the shopping trip as hassle-free as possible."

People using the tram may be treated to some festive spirit by carol singers on board
http://www.perth.wa.gov.au/html/org10_.php?title=Free+Parking+for+Christmas+Shoppers&date=2003-12-05

New burns unit planned for Perth
A $3 million world-class burns reconstruction and rehabilitation unit will be set up at Royal Perth Hospital next year.

Fiona Wood, who helped treat almost 30 burns victims from the Bali bombings, will head the new centre.

The hospital's consultant plastic surgeon, Mark Duncan-Smith, says the new centre will help the 79 burns patients currently waiting for treatment.

"We'll be able to help more quickly and there'll be less waiting lists," he said.

"It means that from a rehabilitation point of view that the acute burn won't carry on for so long, the problems that we can get into with scars contracting will be able to be fixed up much more quickly."

Bali bomb victim Antony Svilicich says he has several years of reconstructive surgery ahead of him.

He says this centre will make it easier for patients because all the services will be centralised.

"The physios and social workers and occupational therapists can really track your progress as you go along, I think it's really good that everything's sort of in the one spot," he said.
http://abc.net.au/news/australia/wa/metwa-8dec2003-9.htm

Pittman for Perth
WORLD champion hurdler Jana Pittman will launch her single-minded mission for Olympic glory in Perth next month.

Pittman, 21, will be the headline act in the opening Telstra A series meet of the summer at Perry Lakes Stadium on January 10.

It is one of just a handful of events hand-picked by Pittman and her coach Phil King, who have plotted a tip-toe preparation for the Athens Games next August.

The Melbourne-based hurdler stunned Russian world record-holder Yuliya Pechonkina last August in the 400m final at the world titles in Paris.

Pittman is already several weeks into an unforgiving exercise regime geared towards peaking in Athens.

Her Perth schedule – the first time Pittman will race competitively since Paris – will comprise the 300m hurdles and 300m flat.

King – coach and husband of 1988 Olympic gold medallist Debbie Flintoff-King – said his charge was already steeling herself for the meet.

"She's coming here to put in two really quality efforts," King said.

"The 300m will be really good for her because you can go tough early and try to hold on . . . I think Jana is really looking forward to it."

AthleticA chief executive Wayne Loxley said Pittman's appearance proved Perth's transformation from an athletics outpost to one of the highlights of the Telstra A Series calendar.

"To have a current world champion compete here is a magnificent boost to our event," Loxley said.

"It's probably rare that Perth people can see someone of her quality here, particularly in her first event as world champion.

"Going back some years ago it was common practice for athletes from the east to think Perth was too far away and not worth coming to.

"But we've had Cathy Freeman, Matt Shirvington and Patrick Johnson come here in recent years and the mindset is beginning to change."

Perth's greatest lure for athletes is the sweltering summer conditions, which lend themselves to slick times.

Johnson proved that in February when he clocked wind-assisted times of 9.90sec and 9.88 in the 100m sprint.

It's understood former Olympic high-jumper Chris Stanton, a close friend of King, played a key role in luring Pittman to Perth.

King said Pittman's program would involve no more than 11 competitive events before Athens next year.

"We're being very specific with Jana," he said.

"Athens is very much the goal and everything between now and August will be geared towards that.

"I believe you can overtrain and overrace and that's something we are being very careful not to do."

In a revelation sure to unsettle Pittman's rivals, King said Australia's new darling of the track had trained well below 100 per cent before taking gold in Paris.

"When I first started coaching her I told her I would only be working her at 85 per cent. She was only 20 and not at her physical peak," he said.

When asked if that meant Pittman could improve by 10-15 per cent before Athens, King replied: "If I didn't believe that I wouldn't be coaching her."
http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,8086574%255E2762,00.html

Mustang sallies forth for flypast
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THERE can be no argument. It is the thoroughbred of piston-engine fighters and it will thrill tens of thousands of spectators at next Saturday's Cavalcade of Flight - the biggest flypast of planes seen in Australia.

Perth businessman and aviation enthusiast Bill Wyllie's magnificent P-51 Mustang will be a major feature of the celebration of 100 years of flight, which will involve over 200 aircraft.

Rather than the normal minimum altitude of 1500ft (450m), the P-51 and other aircraft in the flypast will have permission to fly up the river and across Perth Water at just 700ft (213m) to give spectators an unprecedented view.

The P-51 will be flown by two former RAAF and Cathay Pacific Boeing 747 captains, Peter Yates and Drew Searle.

Built in 1944, the Wyllie P-51 was restored from hundreds of pieces two years ago by Rob Poynton's Panama Jacks at Jandakot.

Aircraft in the flypast will form up over Cockburn Sound between 2pm and 3pm on Saturday and be vectored over Fremantle at 1500ft then descend to 700ft over Point Walter and fly up the river at that height past Kings Park and the city before climbing back to 1500ft over Heirisson Island.

Military aircraft from RAAF Pearce and most civil aircraft from Perth Airport will be vectored separately, probably north of Fremantle off the coast, and slotted into the flypast.

Qantas has confirmed that, subject to regulator approval, one of its new Airbus A330s will join the fly-past, while Singapore Airlines is waiting for Singapore regulator approval for a Boeing 777 to take part. VirginBlue is also looking at including two Boeing 737-800s.

Organisers expect these aircraft to depart Perth Airport to the south and make a right turn to fly over the city from south to north above 1500ft before continuing their commercial flights.

The Cavalcade of Flight is being coordinated by Malcolm Yeo, aviation course co-ordinator at Edith Cowan University.

Mr Yeo said the flypast will take 90 minutes and the best vantage points were expected to be Point Walter, Kings Park and the Esplanade, or Jandakot Airport for the take-off.

Amity Travel has arranged several aircraft from Skippers Aviation to carry members of the public
http://www.thewest.com.au/20031209/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto116826-pic22323.html

Massive WA iron-ore expansion approved
THE proposed expansion of iron ore production at Hamersley Iron's Yandicoogina mine in Western Australia has been approved by the state government.

The approval, announced by State Development Minister Clive Brown today, will permit the mine to increase production by 50 per cent from 24 million tonnes to 36 million tonnes a year.

The expansion is part of a $1.24 billion expansion by Hamersley Iron which will also include Dampier port.

Mr Brown said the expansion will help WA meet growing world demand for iron ore, particularly from China.

The minister presented the approval to Hamersley Iron managing director David Smith while inspecting construction at the $430 million HIsmelt project in Kwinana, 40km south of Perth.

"The Gallop Government has facilitated both the HIsmelt project and the Yandicoogina expansion as a part of our strategy to build a stronger economy and create new jobs and opportunities," he said.
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8115179%255E2761,00.html

Hopman Cup to stay in Perth
The internationally-renowned Hopman Cup tennis tournament will be staged in Perth until 2007, Western Australia's sports minister Bob Kucera announced.

Mr Kucera said agreement had been reached between the WA Tourism Commission and Hopman Cup Pty Ltd for the mixed teams tournament to stay at the Burswood Resort for next three years.

A further two-year extension was possible, if a suitable venue could be found.

"The existing contract was due to expire at the end of the 2004 tournament season. I'm pleased to report that negotiations have resulted in the new agreement," Mr Kucera said.

"Hosting the event in 2008 and 2009 will depend on our being able to confirm a venue for the tournament.

It was also confirmed the ABC had signed a five-year deal to continue as host broadcaster, telecasting the tournament live on national free-to-air television.

Fox Sports signed on as the Pay-TV broadcaster, providing 60 hours of live coverage.

Francesco Ricci Bitti, President of the International Tennis Federation and chairman of the Hopman Cup, said he was delighted the immediate future for the tournament was now confirmed.

"We have always maintained that Burswood in Perth is the right home for the Hyundai Hopman Cup," he said.

"It is also imperative that we acknowledge and thank our host broadcaster the ABC and Fox Sports for renewing their broadcasting arrangements for another five years."

This year's tournament begins on January 3, with Australia being represented by Lleyton Hewitt and Alicia Molik.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/12/09/1070732209346.html

Underwater dream comes to life
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IT SITS 10m from the tip of Busselton's 2km-long jetty, it descends 8m to the ocean floor and it will open a new window to the undersea world.

Australia's first underwater observatory opens to the public on Sunday. Built into a 12m concrete shaft, it incorporates 11 acrylic windows.

Resting on the sandy bed are jarrah piles which support the former working port built 138 years ago.

On these grow the world's southern-most soft corals - a collage of sponges growing over fingers of blossoming white telesto coral, tubes and trumpet shapes.

Globe, box and cowfish unhurriedly swim past the viewer blissfully unconcerned by a human presence just centimetres away.

Those who have visited the observatory tell of crabs, which have taken a liking to the outer window ledges, smashed to pieces by dusky morwongs or fatally embraced by an octopus.

Big schools of herring and yellowtail are frequent visitors.

The observatory, which contains a lift designed for wheelchairs and a spiral staircase, is built on four levels, each with WA Museum explanations.

The deepest level is on a platform 1m above the seabed. It is surprisingly light there, with natural sun alone highlighting the coal's colours. On a good day visibility is 20m.

Divers are allowed within 10m of the observatory but a 50m radius around the site has been made a fishing exclusion zone.

Costing $3.6 million in Federal, State and local government funds, loans and community fundraising, the observatory is expected to draw 60,000 people a year.

The observatory was the brainchild of lifelong Busselton jetty supporter, former shire councillor and local farmer Allie Scott, who died aged 90 last December.

Busselton Jetty Experience executive officer Len Boyling said Mr Scott proposed the observatory as a way to raise funds for the jetty, which needed $300,000 in annual maintenance and restoration and millions of dollars in capital works.

Busselton Lions Club president John Cannam said he had been a resident of Busselton for 23 years but never had seen below the surface of the sea.

A wheelchair user since a tree-felling accident 30 years ago, he was thrilled the observatory was accessible for people with disabilities.

"It's fantastic," he said yesterday. "It is marvellous to see the fish perform completely undomesticated."

Tickets for a 40-minute tour cost $12.50 for adults and $6 for children. The jetty is open to the public from 10am Sunday. Opening hours will be from 8.30am to 4.30pm. Bookings are essential.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20031212/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto117010-pic22355.html

WA growth leads surge
A SURGE in demand for WA's resources is likely to see the state record an economic growth level above the national average for a third year in a row.

WA's peak commercial body the Chamber of Commerce and Industry said on Thursday that neither the strength of the Australian dollar nor rising interest rates were likely to stop WA recording a growth rate of 5 per cent or more this financial year.

It is predicting a similar growth rate rise in the 2004-05 financial year.

"Even though the exchange rate is working against the Government some of our key commodities such as gold and oil have been pretty firm to the extent that they have more than offset the exchange rate," CCI economist Nicky Cusworth said.

"We are also likely to see much stronger stamp duties than have been anticipated. The housing boom has been stronger and more persistent than people had expected."

But the CCI warned the rising Australian dollar, now trading at about US74c, would be a problem for WA in the long term.

"The budget for this year was framed on a technical assumption of US60c," Ms Cusworth said.

"It is not a failure on the part of Treasury as some people have said. Exchange rates are notoriously difficult to forecast."

In its journal, Economic Compass, the CCI said WA's predicted growth rate was higher than estimates by the Commonwealth Treasury for Australia.

The Federal Government predicts Australia will grow in GDP by about 4 per cent in the 2003-04 financial year and 3.5 per cent in the 2004-05 financial year.

Ms Cusworth said that while it was expected activity in WA's housing sector would taper off in the second half of next year, external factors such as the end of the drought and a record grain crop would provide a further positive stimulus to the state's economy.

Despite a recent downturn, employment in WA is forecast to increase by 1.5 per cent this financial year and stabilise at about 6 per cent during 2003-04.
http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,8153474%255E2761,00.html

WA ship builders win $550m Navy job
Western Australia-based ship building company Austal has signed off on a multi-million dollar deal to construct the new patrol boats for the Australian Navy.

The deal is worth more than $550 million.

Defence Maritime Services and Austal were announced as the preferred tenderers for the project in August.

Twelve 56-metre patrol boats will make up the new Armidale class and be delivered to the Navy over three and a half years.

Austal estimates 30 per cent of its workforce will be dedicated to the project, which is its largest contract to date.

Defence Minister Robert Hill says the purchase will greatly enhance border security.
http://www.abc.net.au/wa/news/200312/s1012161.htm

Government signs up for $553 million WA patrol boats
A NEW generation of ships to be built in Western Australia to monitor coastal waters for illegal immigrants and organised crime gangs would greatly enhance Australia's border protection, Defence Minister Robert Hill said today.

The federal government, Defence Maritime Services (DMS) and Austal shipbuilders today signed a $553 million contract to build the fleet of 12 Armidale class patrol boats, which will go into production next year.

The first boat, to be named HMAS Armidale, will be delivered in May 2005, with the second and third to be finished six months later. The fleet will be based in Cairns and Darwin.

Senator Hill said in contrast to Labor's promise of a coastguard, which he claimed was merely a renaming exercise, the fleet would markedly improve Australia's coastal security.

"(These boats will) protect our sovereignty at a time when unfortunately transnational threats have increased in the past few years," Senator Hill said at the Austal shipyards in Henderson, south of Fremantle.

"Illegal immigrants and transnational crime really does require a state of the art response, and these twelve patrol boats are really state-of-the-art.

"They will enable naval Australia to continue to protect its borders in the way all Australians would wish."

The new fleet will be able to operate up to 1000 nautical miles offshore, with an overall range of 3000 nautical miles.

They also will be armed with 25mm Typhoon stabilised cannons, which Senator Hill said would make potential illegal immigrants and fishing vessels take note.

"They will be boats that are significantly armed in terms of the 25mm cannon, which will cause those who are breaching our sovereignty to take significant note. They are an important part of protecting our sovereignty."

Austal will build the aluminium 56-metre patrol boats at their Henderson shipyard as a subcontractor of DMS.
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8192237%255E2761,00.html

Perth house prices up 19.6pc
DESPITE talk of a slowdown, latest figures from the Real Estate Institute of WA reveal house values jumped almost 20 per cent in the year to November.

The severe shortage of properties on the market earlier this year has eased with more homes available for sale.

REIWA's monthly housing market review found the 19.6 per cent price rise was the biggest annual growth in the Perth median house price since 1989.

In the year to November, the median house price in the Perth metropolitan area rose to $228,500.

But gains in the metropolitan area were surpassed by Mandurah where the median house price soared 29.2 per cent to $213,583 and in Busselton by 23 per cent to $226,042, topping the State's average increases.

REIWA president Jim Henneberry said stocks of homes available for sale had risen since the June low of 5500 to 8850 houses.

"However, stock levels are still below the long-term average of 12,000 homes. We expect stocks to return to normal levels by March or April next year," Mr Henneberry said.

"The strong growth in the Perth median house price in November reflects the surge in sales activity in the middle of the year. The peak in the house price growth cycle usually follows the peak in the sales market by about two to three months."

REIWA public affairs director Lino Iacomella said the market was at the peak of the five-year cycle and prices would even out next year.

"The growth is likely to slow down as we move into what would be considered a more normal market," he said.

He added December was an ideal time for homebuyers to enter the market.

"From about the second week of December, the market really slows down and sellers are usually very keen," he said.

REIWA Mandurah branch chairman Adam Bassett-Scarfe said the satellite city's improved infrastructure had buoyed its real estate market.

"House prices have gone up for the last three years dramatically, more so the last two years. Since the interest rate rise things have slowed down a little . . . we expect the median house price to continue rising for some time," Mr Bassett-Scarfe said.

"Perth people are also turning to Mandurah as a holiday venue. It's close enough to be viable for a weekend away."

He said the $1.52 billion Perth-to-Mandurah rail line was generating additional interest, but price rises of the kind experienced since 2002 were not sustainable.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20031218/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto117274.html

State-of the-art nanotechnology facility to be located at University of WA
Premier and Minister for Science Geoff Gallop today officially opened the Western Australian node of the Nanostructural Analysis Network Organisation (NANO) at the University of WA.

The NANO facility enables nanometric analysis and supports research into forensics, materials science, nanotechnology and biotechnology. Nanotechnology is a rapidly expanding field with significant potential in various scientific fields.

Dr Gallop announced the State's support for the acquisition of the node's NanoSIMS 50 Ion Microprobe, a high resolution scanning ion probe.

This facility is state-of-the-art and one of only 10 in the world - the others located in Japan, Germany and the USA.

The WA node of NANO received a Centres of Excellence in Science and Innovation grant of $1.1million through the Office of Science and Innovation.

"It is centres such as NANO, which are focussed on achievements in new technological frontiers, which provide our State with the platform for sound economic growth and the development of new innovations and knowledge-intensive jobs," the Premier said.

In 2002, the Gallop Government increased the annual investment through the Centres of Excellence in Science and Innovation program from a base of $2.78million to a base of $7million per year.

WA now has more than 40 such Centres of Excellence covering diverse areas across the entire science spectrum.

NANO is housed in UWA alongside the WA Centre for Microscopy, which was established in 2000 with a Centres of Excellence Program investment.

The NANO facility effectively unites the major university-based microscopy and microanalysis centres that formerly operated in isolation. Combining these centres provides an important platform for nanotechnology-related research and will enable Australia to participate in this high potential field and the associated knowledge-based industries.

Dr Gallop congratulated associate director of NANO Professor Brendan Griffin and welcomed Dr Richard Stern from Canada, who is an acclaimed authority on ion microprobe analysis and will manage the nanoSIMS equipment.

Underwater observatory puts Busselton on international map
The State's most exciting new marine-tourism attraction, the $3.6million Busselton Jetty Underwater Observatory, is being officially opened at lunchtime today.

The observatory rests on the seabed eight metres below the water's surface at the end of the historic Busselton Jetty and is a window to the vibrant sea life and coral formations.

Tourism and South-West Minister Bob Kucera is representing the Premier at the opening.

"The State Government is proud to have contributed $1million toward developing the observatory, which makes the Busselton Jetty an even more attractive tourist destination," Mr Kucera said.

The State Government has also provided an additional $50,000 to support the marketing of the new attraction.

The Minister said the jetty currently attracted some 200,000 visitors annually and the observatory would bring even more tourists to Busselton - providing the flow-on effect of bringing more tourist dollars into the town and the region.

"Tourism is one of this State's economic drivers and nowhere is that more apparent at the moment than the South-West," he said.

The jetty has twice been threatened with demolition since it ceased operating as a port in 1973. Repair work began in 1988, when the volunteer Busselton Jetty Management Committee received the first of a number of grants for its preservation. It is the longest timber jetty in the southern hemisphere and is one of the South-West's most popular tourist attractions.

Underneath the jetty is a unique marine ecosystem which includes spectacular corals and more than 300 individual underwater species. The observatory has been built to take advantage of this environment and the most southerly soft coral formations in the world.

"The restoration of the Busselton jetty, development of the interpretive centre and the creation of the new underwater observatory have been driven by an active community and led by the late Mr Allie Scott, who devoted many years of his life to restoring the jetty," Mr Kucera said.

"The committee, with the support of the Busselton Shire Council, and the State and Federal Governments, has developed an asset of which the community can be rightfully proud."

Local MLC Adele Farina, who played a key role in securing additional funds for the entry building that sits above the observatory, said the facility was an exciting step forward for the region.

"It is a unique window on our beautiful and pristine waters here in the South-West and it will draw tourists, both young and old from all over Australia and the world," Ms Farina said.

The underwater observatory is the third stage of the development of the Busselton Jetty.

Commenced in 1988, the first stage comprises the ongoing maintenance and rebuilding of a structure that has suffered at the hands of fire and cyclone. The second stage involved the construction of the interpretive centre at the foot of the jetty.

Constructed by Doric and floated down to the site from Cockburn Sound, the observatory chamber is a 12m high concrete structure now located 100m from the end of the almost two-kilometre long jetty.

Feds hear deviation call
A $320 MILLION road to alleviate congestion in Mandurah was now on top of the priority list for WA, Federal Transport Minister Ian Campbell said during his visit from Canberra last week.
Mr Campbell said Federal ministers had been well briefed on the importance of the Peel Deviation.
The State Government has allocated $800,000 this financial year for geotechnical and design work on the proposed road.
The design work will be part of a new submission for Federal government assistance in the Auslink program.
"Expectations are for Auslink to be sorted out very early in the new year," Mr Campbell said.
Peel Development Commission chairman John Collett told him stakeholders were hoping to combine Federal, State and local government representatives in a taskforce.
The Transport minister's visit follows that of Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson in October, also arranged by Canning MP Don Randall.
Mr Anderson told a meeting the Peel Deviation had a strong case for Federal Government funding but stopped short of promising funds or a time-line.
He said there was a legitimate need for the Peel Deviation to service the rapidly growing South West region.
Mr Randall said visits by ministers would not guarantee Federal Government funding but allow them to fully understand the urgency.
Stakeholders say the existing road system - used by 13,000 freight trucks every day - was deterring tourism and business development.
Murray Shire president Noel Nancarrow said about 1500 trucks also used Pinjarra's single lane main street every day.
"We're putting $1.8 million into our state annually, we're not being greedy but we're asking for our bit out," Mr Nancarrow told Mr Campbell.
http://mandurah.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&story_id=274617&category=General+News&m=12&y=2003

Taxman says Nedlands is our richest city
http://www.postnewspapers.com.au/20031220/news/images/6009.jpg
Nedlands folk are the richest in WA.

The city's 6009 postcode is home to the most well-heeled in the state, according to the latest figures from the Australian Taxation Office.

Nedlands people earn more, save more, own more shares and pay more tax than anywhere else in WA.

Even on averages, the people who live in the 6009 zone are streets ahead.

The city's 8545 taxpayers earned a whopping $620,664,865 in the financial year 2000-01, an average of $72,635, according to the latest figures, released on Monday.

They contributed more than $211 million to federal coffers.

About 72% got their income from wages or salaries.

The 6009 group claimed $41 million in imputation credits for tax paid on shares.

About a quarter of the 6009 crowd told the taxman they'd made a total of more than $48 million in capital gains during the financial year 2000-01.

About 59% of the 6009 taxpayers earned $18.6 million interest on savings.

Investment and work-related expenses of $37.1 million were granted to 83%.

Offsets such as the baby bonus and private health insurance rebates amounted to $46.8 million for the 6009 set.

About 1700 taxpayers claimed more than a $1 million loss on rent from properties.

About 5% told the taxman they shared $1.6 million in federal benefits such as Centrelink payments and pensions.

A similar number, 482 residents, declared a share of HECS debts of $878,916.

Elsewhere in the western suburbs, Peppermint Grove and Cottesloe taxpayers living in the 6011 area were the next biggest income earners, on an average taxable income of $67,458.

They were followed by the average Mosman Park resident in 6012 on $66,889, then City Beach folk in 6015 on $65,043.

Swanbourne and Claremont residents in 6010, had an average taxable income of $62,218.

The average Subiaco resident in 6008 came next, with an average $51,028 taxable income.

Wembley and Jolimont residents came next in 6014, with $45,753.

West Leederville's average taxpayer declared $45,634 in 6007.

Churchlands residents, in 6018, averaged $39,179 and Wembley Downs folk, at 6019, averaged $38,690.

The 1921 taxpayers in 6017 at Herdsman, had an average taxable income of $32,930.
http://www.postnewspapers.com.au/20031220/news/009.shtml

Customized transit plan set for GVRD
TravelSmart already successful in Perth, Australia and Portland
VANCOUVER - Residents of a number of Greater Vancouver neighbourhoods will soon have the chance to explain exactly what they want and need for their personal transportation.

The result could be a substantial reduction in the use of private automobiles, whose numbers are growing at a faster rate than those of people within the Greater Vancouver Regional District.

The move away from a one-size-fits-all transit system to a hunt for custom solutions is part of a new program called TravelSmart, which local officials say has already been effective in several cities around the world, including Perth, Australia, and Portland, Ore.

TransLink and Transport Canada will spend $900,000 on the program, with no additional cost to the municipalities in which the surveys are conducted.

TransLink chairman and Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum said Friday there is strong demand for increased utilization of different modes of transportation.

"I've just gone through a huge public consulting process on our 10-year plan, and I heard a number of times that we need to get into transportation-demand measures, which are basically encouraging people to use transit that don't use it," he said.

"This program fits exactly into that and I think it will be a good program to market throughout the region.

"We have to do it. Our region is expanding at a very fast rate with new people moving into our region, and we have to encourage people to use transit."

Local interest in the program has been heightened by the continuing growth of vehicle ownership in the GVRD. The GVRD's most recent data shows vehicle ownership growing by 15.6 per cent between 1994 and 1999, with kilometres travelled increasing by 14.6 per cent in the same period.

The showcase for TravelSmart is the city of South Perth, which has seen substantial increases in transit use (21 per cent), walking (16 per cent) and cycling (91 per cent). At the same time, the number of kilometres travelled by car has dropped by 14 per cent.

Significantly, a survey conducted two years after these results were measured found them unchanged.

The program is based on the idea that individualized marketing can encourage people to change their behaviour by showing them alternative means of transportation can serve their needs. It starts with a survey designed to weed out those who either already use alternative modes of transportation or those who, as one local official puts it, "you're never going to get out of their cars, even if you hold a gun to their heads."

Experience indicates that about 40 per cent of the targeted populations are willing to explore changing the way they get around. McCallum says the results of other cities which have adopted the TravelSmart program indicate that individually targeted marketing is much more effective than mass marketing when it comes to getting people out of their cars.

In South Perth, off-duty bus drivers were employed to visit participating homes during the evenings to discuss individual requirements, and survey participants were given free month-long transit passes.

Work on the TravelSmart program here is expected to begin in the spring, with preliminary results towards the end of the year. The GVRD neighbourhoods targeted for the program are Kitsilano in Vancouver; Richmond City Centre; Sperling in Burnaby; South Surrey; Coquitlam Centre and Tsawwassen.

A study document for the program notes that while Richmond City Centre has 32,700 residents, only 12.5 per cent commute to work by transit. The GVRD average is 14.3 per cent. By contrast, 41 per cent of Kitsilano residents walk, cycle or take transit.

Coquitlam Centre, however, despite being served by express bus service to Vancouver and the West Coast Express commuter train, has less than nine per cent of its residents taking transit to work.
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/story.asp?id=D60DC2F2-7603-4856-91EB-C1F002F0E19A

Retail landlords savour big year
AS THE cash registers ring out with Christmas sales, retail landlords are wrapping up what has been a blockbuster year for the darling of the commercial property sector.

In the city malls the boarded-up shop fronts have almost disappeared with new retailers moving back into the resurgent, retail heart of the city.

A spike in activity has translated into rental growth for city landlords who report leasing deals worth more than $2000/sqm in the city, an important milestone for this market, according to analysts.

Fashion retailers are including Perth in their expansion plans with brand outlets for a number of high-profile labels launching this year.

To cap off the year, French Connection, or FCUK, has opened its first WA store on Bayview Terrace in Claremont.

CB Richard Ellis associate director Fred Clohessy, who found a location for the retailer, said the rental values in Claremont had risen in the past year.

"Twelve months ago there were four to five vacancies on Bayview Terrace, and now there are none," Mr Clohessy said.

"In Claremont a lot of the future rental growth is hinged on the Claremont Shopping Centre redevelopment - that has to happen for it to continue."

French Connection general manager Katy King said the group had been considering a site in Perth for about two years.

"The first Australian store was established in 1999 in Sydney and we have continued to experience strong growth in the Eastern States since then," she said. "We see Perth as a natural progression of this growth."

Perth's city retail landlords tell a very different story to the office property owners who have shouldered spiralling vacancy rates in the city and minimal rental growth thanks to the new office tower at 240 St Georges Terrace.

Lease Equity director Jim Tsagalis said 2003 could be described as a landmark year for city property owners.

He said while there had been some rental growth in the city in recent years, deals for new tenants were now being done above the $2000/sqm mark.

"I think next year will be interesting, there are a number of things happening, including the completion of St Martin's Arcade, the completion of the Commonwealth Bank property refurbishment on Forest Place and the upgrade of the malls," Mr Tsagalis said.

With projections for new retail space relatively flat, there is still potential for further rental growth in this sector of the commercial property market, he said.

Colliers International research manager David Cresp said 2003 had been relatively quiet in terms of the expansion of existing retail developments in Perth.

"We have seen limited expansion of shopping centres with strong turnover figures from the retailers," Mr Cresp said.

"This has meant that most operators have had a reasonable year.

"The city continues to be a reasonably tough market but we are now starting to see a bit more activity."

In the second half of the year several major leasing deals were negotiated in the city which cut the vacancy level in the CBD.

"This time last year there were a number of vacancies in the malls, people are now saying the city is the strongest it has been for a long time," Mr Cresp said.

"The jury is still out on whether the new Harbour Town development is a positive or a negative for the city."

In terms of retail sales, 2003 was a relatively quiet year. The major sales included the Grove Plaza, which sold for $13.2 million, and the Plaza Arcade which was bought by Berbatis Atzemis for $26.2 million.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20031224/business/tw-business-home-sto117494.html

No dearth of fun things to do in Perth
ANDREW SIA follows two Malaysian contest winners on an ‘Amazing Race’ challenge around Perth involving dolphins, kangaroo paws, crabs, bells and balls. He survives Death by Dessert to tell the tale.
Day One
http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2003/12/27/features/f_pg28myoz1.JPG
Fremantle (Freo to the locals), the historic port of WA, is a 15-minute drive or 75-minute riverboat ride away from Perth. Of course, since we were on a do-or-die mission, we had to go in style. We left from the city’s Barrack Square jetty and cruised past luxurious waterfront bungalows (some owned by Malaysian and Indonesian millionaires), sailing boats and windsurfers.

It’s hard to say where Malaysians get the impression that there’s “nothing to do” around Perth when lots of Aussies were enjoying the outdoors this Sunday morning instead of fighting underground Megamall traffic jams.

Two local challengers, pulled from their WA Tourism desk duties, joined the girls on their quest today. Hanim was paired off with Stuart Wesierski, 18, while Loh got Tom Upson, 26, as a partner. Upon arrival at Fremantle, they all jumped into cute three-wheel scooters – an excellent way to explore the town’s galleries, boutiques and al fresco cafes housed in beautiful heritage buildings – courtesy of Scoot Freo

But first, there were some treasure hunt questions to be answered at the WA Maritime Museum which features the state’s shipping history and even a tour of a submarine! What was equally fascinating was the museum’s surprising frankness: as a TV talking head espoused the benefits of European “civilisation” through colonisation, a 3D hologram genie pointed out the fallacies of such “progress”.

For instance, who was a pirate? Was it the unruly dirty natives or the western colonisers who came, as the genie says, with “bigger guns and no scruples about using them”? The stiff British TV head replies, “Well . . . I admit negotiations were sometimes . . . a little . . . enthusiastic. You have to protect your own interests.”

While other museums merely point out dates and facts, this one succeeded in addressing the bigger question: What is history anyway? Is it written by the winners or the losers? Who was a pirate back then? And one might add: Who is a terrorist now?

No trip to Freo is complete without seafood, and we chose between fish ‘n chips, grilled crabs and marinated octopus at Cicerello’s, a boatshed-styled place facing the Fishing Boat Harbour. After filling up, the two teams went into hunter-gatherer mode: they had to read their maps, scoot over to the Fremantle Markets, fight their way past buskers, artists and masseurs as well as numerous craft/gift stalls before finally munching on scrumptious, caramel-roasted Morish nuts for survival.

As for myself, I simply could not resist sampling the exotic varieties of honey and yogurt fruit shakes on sale. In fact, this place (www.fremantlemarkets.com.au) shows how an old market in an antique Victorian building can be successfully restored. Kuala Lumpur’s Central Market was saved from demolition some two decades ago. Can we preserve the lovely old market in Taiping? Can the rebuilding of Penang’s Campbell Street market retain much heritage flavour?

As for our two teams, after answering more questions, they could finally relax at Gino’s Café, part of Freo’s famed “cappuccino strip”. Oooh . . . iced coffee with ice cream and baklava. It’s a tough job but somebody?

Coffee lovers should pay a visit to Fremantle's famed 'cappuccino strip'
Day Two
http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2003/12/27/features/f_pg28myoz2.JPG
The ever-friendly Jeff Cottrell, owner-driver-arrange-anything-man of Just ‘U’ Me & Perth Tours was on hand to drive us over to Lake Monger, a sanctuary for birds (including the state’s renowned black swans) just 5km from the city.

“The swans come here because the rivers are full of boats,” explained Cottrell. “Apart from them, there are swamp hens and wood ducks. There are even corellas, which cost about $3,000 (RM8,100) each in Britain. But they are protected here.”

The day’s first challenge was for the two teams to walk/jog/run round the lake and take photos of their mascots (little stuffed wombats). Then, we all returned to the city for our bicycle ride along the Swan River foreshore. After getting the correct-sized helmets fitted on at About Bike Hire we were all set.

The temperature was at about 25°C and we glided on our bikes with the Swan River on our left and Perth’s parks and skyscrapers on our right. It was amazing: we could enjoy clean air and tranquil surroundings in the middle of a major city.

The original plan was for the challengers to cycle uphill all the way to Kings Park.

“We wanted to put in more hard-core stuff,” smiled Terence Wong, the coordinator from WA Tourism. “But then, we thought, ah well . . . you won a contest to come here, shouldn’t make you suffer too much.”

And so, after a very relaxing bike ride, we stopped at Barrack Square, the jetty for leisure cruises not only to Fremantle but also to Rottnest Island and the Swan Valley vineyards. But instead of a boat, we climbed a nearby tower, the city’s famous Swan Bells. These are claimed to be “one of the world’s largest musical instruments” consisting of 18 huge bells. And the next challenge was for both teams to ring out the tune Rasa Sayang on them!

Nah, just kidding – these bells can only be rung by specially trained volunteers following English “change ringing” methods. So tough luck. Our teams had to settle for the milder challenge of photographing the mascots with breathtaking views from the top of Swan Bells.

Next came Kings Park, an oasis of native bushland and manicured gardens with more superb city and river vistas. We looked out for the native “kangaroo paw” flowers and the outlandish “grass tree” before taking a walk among the treetops at the steel and glass bridge of the new Lotterywest Federation Walkway. Then we settled down for a charming picnic prepared by King Street Food & Wine Umm . . . excellent Italian prosciutto sandwiches . . .

In the afternoon, the challenge took a time out and we returned to our apartment-hotel, the Pacific International Suites (www.pacificinthotels.com). Its location was extremely convenient as we were right next to the city’s Hay and Murray pedestrian malls – two whole street sections sealed off from traffic and turned into a shopping and food haven.

Also nearby was King Street – a historic and largely intact precinct of commercial buildings dating from the 1890s gold rush. With refurbishing and street scaping, it now has a cosy mix of gourmet cafés, fashion houses and cultural galleries. A five minute walk away was Northbridge – Perth’s renowned nightlife hub of pubs, discos, eateries and a few, um . . . naughty establishments. But we left that out since it was to be the climax of the evening to come . . .

Indeed, after working up our appetite with some intensive afternoon shopping, it was time for some real challenges. Eating, eating and eating! Since Malaysians complain that “Perth is boring”, WA Tourism decided to show us that there was more to Perth than just the city.

We started our culinary expedition at Subiaco, a suburb just five minutes away with a wealth of cafes, restaurants and shops. At the landmark Subiaco Hotel, our entrée for the evening was the trademark Subi Plate – a combo of Vietnamese spring rolls, coriander prawns, sweet potato, Italian bruschetta and baby calamari.

For our main course and dessert, we moved on to Northbridge. There was a choice of Italian, Lebanese, Thai, Malaysian, Indian, Vietnamese and Greek cuisine. Plus I’m sure there had to be some Aussie meatpies on sale somewhere . . . Anyway, we flew into the Vultures Restaurant, manoeuvred our way past the Balinese wedding bed and saltwater fish tank, and stuffed our faces with their celebrated Vultures Poor Boy sandwich featuring spicy chicken with tiger prawns and avocado.

Next, it was the Valentino Café Restaurant for the evening’s coup de grace: the Valentino Tiramisu served with ice cream, whipped cream and caramel sauce. Utterly rich, totally decadent, absolutely delicious.

One of the treasure hunt questions had the nerve to ask what a Death by Chocolate was. Hello! We were dying of something else . . .
Day Three
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After an early morning resurrection and a 30-minute drive south of Perth, we arrived at Rockingham for our Dolphin Watch Tour. This is the place where folks come to “swim with the dolphins” but alas . . . that ever popular tour was fully booked out

In other countries, there would have been a deluge of copy-cat tour boat operators by now. But not here.

“In Australia, there is concern about environmental stress on the dolphins,” noted Wong. “This tour operator has built a long-term relationship with the wild dolphins of the area.”

Whatever you do, don’t bring bananas onto the boat.

“We once brought a Taiwanese film star on tour here,” recalled Wong. “Half hour?one hour?and nothing. Then the captain asked, ‘Has anyone brought a banana on board?’ Sure enough, there was one. It was quickly eaten and voila?60 dolphins appeared soon after.”

We didn’t get wet but we saw at least four dozen of these playful sea mammals. As we stood on the bow, some of the “dollys” (as the captain called them) came virtually right beneath our feet and swam along with the boat. We could almost reach out and touch them . . .

Those who actually don wetsuits and swim alongside the dolphins get to listen to their unique squeaks and squeals. We had the next best thing. Thanks to some special underwater microphones, we could hear them through the boat’s speaker system. The challenge continued with a dolphin-related quiz but the real cruncher (and giggler) was when both teams had to imitate a dolphin “talking”.

After that, it was time for some real screaming as the contestants sent golf balls into water traps and sand bunkers. Venue: the Meadow Springs Golf & Country Club, at the nearby coastal resort town of Mandurah. The course wound and rolled through open bushland and towering 200-year-old Tuart trees, and the challengers, after numerous mishaps, were tied at exactly 11 strokes for their second hole.

Finally, it was all down to the crab-catching competition at the Mandurah Marina. While the organisers took it easy on a huge houseboat (yes, a whole floating house that moves), the teams slogged it out on little floppity-flop dinghys. They had to set several crab traps with fish bait, lower them into the shallow estuarine waters, wait . . . and then hoist everything back up. For eco-protection, any under-sized crabs had to be thrown back in.

“It was a good thing that we got our sea-legs in the morning. It was fun but also tough to lower and pull up the traps,” said Hanim. “And the bait . . . oooh . . . just smell my fingers!”

But it was all worth it. She and Wesierski landed eight crabs and ended up narrowly winning the challenge by, shall we say, a pincer?

It was all a friendly contest anyway and everybody cooled off with some Simmo’s Ice Cream at the marina. We were spoilt for choice between Strawberry Contreau Cheesecake, Whiskey Prune and White Chocolate Malteser, all made from fresh local milk and cream following a traditional Irish recipe

Later that night, we tucked into yet another superb dinner at Northbridge’s Fishy Affair restaurant featuring local seafood: Moreton Bay Bugs and WA Rock Lobster.

The menu also had more exotic stuff like crocodile pie, camel steaks, emu sandwiches and grilled insects known as witjuti grubs. Hmmm. Maybe for next year’s challenge . . .
http://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2003/12/27/features/6977383&sec=features

City fruit man to shut up shop
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AFTER 50 years of bagging fruit, Bryon Bentley has decided to quit his landmark fruit barrow in Murray Street at the corner of Forrest Place.

Although something of a local institution, his lease expires on Wednesday and he is not interested in the alternative site Perth City Council has offered him.

Mr Bentley, 64, of Palmyra, began as a 14-year-old, bagging and selling fruit in Sydney with his father. Thirty years ago, he headed west to set up a stall in Garden City but for 23 years has slung his leather money bag over his shoulder in the city.

"I have served film stars and politicians, you name it," he said. "I wish I had started a diary."

Mr Bentley believes his barrow was a community service but it was a seven-day-a-week commitment which began at 3.30am for the trip to Canning Vale markets and then on to Murray Street for an early start and a full day of trading.

"You have to give up a lot socially for this type of work, getting up so early and working weekends. You virtually have to devote everything to it."

He has taken only one day off sick.

"I would love to keep going but time has beaten me," he said. "On your feet all day is hard. It can be very hot here in summer and in winter, the wind can be so cold your fingers go blue.

"I have made a good living but it is a case of what you put into it. My two sons are not prepared to carry on with this."

Mr Bentley said he was not prepared to fight to and stay and the lease also expires for a nearby flower seller.

His favourite fruits are ripe bananas and apricots and he buys mainly WA supplies because he reckons local stone fruit is Australia's best.

For the future, he might return east to help his sister run a hotel in Gundagai.

"The best times for me were during the America's Cup," he said. "There were people walking up and down all the time."
http://www.thewest.com.au/20031229/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto117671-pic22509.html

Heritage values down the pan
I ONCE went on a tour of the sewers of Paris. I didn't do it because I was interested in seeing where all that fine French food and wine ended up.

What I really wanted to find out was why Parisians thought the rest of the world would be interested in their sewage. It's a peculiar concept.

Now, I happen to like the French and I spent a wonderful year living among them. But you'd have to say that charging tourists around $6.50 to let them inspect your droppings hints at some form of Gallic arrogance.

This puzzling issue came to mind again this week with the news that Multiplex had knocked down an old sewage pumping station on Mounts Bay Road as part of the convention centre redevelopment.

There were, of course, howls of disapproval from the usual suspects.

And we should be thankful for that, because the arguments put forward offer a clear example of just how ridiculous the heritage debate has become in Perth.

This is a classic case of nostalgia being confused with history.

And it also poses a question about the Heritage Council: Has it run out of useful work and is now finding things to justify its existence?

The pumping station was referred to in a report in this newspaper as "historic". It's not. It's just old.

My dictionary defines historic as "famous or important in history; having great and lasting importance".

We've now got to the point where any threat to remove something old creates a clamour for its preservation.

I suspect that behind this is the same sort of insecurity that caused Linus in the Peanuts cartoon strip to keep clutching at his baby blanket.

It's a fear of the future; a childish clamouring for things that are familiar, that link us to our childhood when we were protected and didn't have to look after ourselves in a changing and threatening world.

The new head of the Heritage Council - hereinafter known as the Nostalgia Council - showed his true colours in his reported comments.

"The pump station is a quirky yet familiar interlude for many of us who have occasion to pass it on our way into Perth - I, for one, shall miss it," chairman Patric de Villiers said.

Perhaps he has a Parisian somewhere in his ancestry.

Mr de Villiers said the loss was disappointing and avoidable. He thought the pumping station was likely to have met the council's criteria for heritage listing.

Having seen their past performances on the Court Hotel and others, there's little doubt the sewage station would have satisfied their shonky standards.

However, in this case, Multiplex knocked it down before the Nostalgia Council had a chance to register it.

The chairman of the National Trust, Professor David Dolan, said the station was part of the history of Perth.

That didn't come as a surprise to me because I can remember him calling for the preservation of the ugly and dangerous trolley bus poles that blight Stirling Highway through Nedlands.

And Professor Dolan said the poo-pumping building should have been creatively incorporated into the convention centre development.

Why? How could it possibly enhance the design or the utility of the convention centre?

Once again, someone would have been given the job of finding a purpose for another unsuitable building of absolutely no historic or architectural significance.

Do we really want to save a building like this because it used to stop our ancestors' waste going into the river?

Is that a glorious part of our history that we need to preserve for future generations?

So children in the 22nd century could stand in front of it awestruck as their fathers in hushed tones tell them:

"Son, if it wasn't for that building there, your great-great-great grandfather's turds would have ended up at Fremantle."

I blame the Gallop Government for allowing this heritage madness to blossom unchecked.

Suburban councils have always been renowned for silly pressure-group indulgences, but State governments should be above that sort of rubbish.

I knew we were in trouble in February last year when Heritage Minister Judy Edwards agreed to protect the police headquarters building at the Causeway.

For most people, I'm sure it's just a fairly ugly example of 1960s public service design on a very valuable piece of riverside real estate at the eastern entrance to the city. An important site.

But to Dr Edwards it was "rare and significant as WA's only existing curvilinear office block".

We certainly wouldn't want to be without one of them. "Its construction with special radio mast incorporated modern communications technology for our police force - and heralded an improvement in their working conditions," she said.

This soft-headed approach has now led the empowered Nostalgia Council to tell a group of City Beach residents that their humble homes are also important to the history of WA.

Why? Because they were part of the old Empire Games village, regardless of how modified they have been over the years since 1962. One affected homeowner, Richard Shepherd, summed it up beautifully in an open letter to the Nostalgia Council this week:

"You twice say that the village is 'the first purpose-built and designed Commonwealth Games Village'. Gee whizz.

"These games attract modest attention in the world from time to time. But you are really pushing it to say that our 'purpose-built Games Village' is some sort of a world or even Australian landmark for Perth.

"Architects are great people, but I have a feeling that the zealotry of some lies at the base of this Games Village fracas and associated rumblings in other of the western suburbs.

"Finally, and there shouldn't be any need for me to say this, as a heritage body you would be aware that one of our most prized traditions is that our house is our own - our castle - to do what we like with except in the most compelling of circumstances.

"You represent an assault on that rule."

The time has come to pull this heritage lunacy to account.

Clochemerle-style buffoonery over a sewage station is merely ridiculous. It's when these meddlers affect the way people can live in their homes that they go beyond making themselves just a joke
http://www.thewest.com.au/20031230/features/tw-features-home-sto117605.html

Public transport gears up for New Year's Eve
Extra public transport services on New Year's Eve will provide easy, safe access to and from popular locations including Northbridge and Fremantle.

Acting Planning and Infrastructure Minister Tom Stephens today urged revellers to use increased train, bus, ferry and taxi services.

"We are doing all we can to make a safe and enjoyable experience for families and people of all ages celebrating the New Year," Mr Stephens said.

"People can plan their activities around these expanded services and avoid traffic congestion.

"Between midnight and 3am, trains will run every 15 minutes on all lines.

"For the first time, trains will be running all night, extra services will run every hour between 3am and 7am from Perth to Joondalup, Fremantle and Midland. A final Fremantle Perth service will run at 3.25am.

"Normal weekday bus services will run on New Year's Eve, with some extra services before midnight.

"There will also be a large number of extra bus services leaving from Perth and Fremantle at 1am and 2am with some routes running through till 4am."

The Minister said every available taxi would also be on the road.

"Taxi ranks on William and Milligan Streets in Northbridge and on South Terrace in Fremantle will be supervised by security guards to add to safety and convenience of users and drivers," he said.

A special brochure: Festive Season on Transperth 2003 - your guide to services for Special Events in December, details all urban public transport arrangements for the holiday period, though patrons should note that the overnight New Year's Eve trains are in addition to those listed in the brochure.

The brochure is available from bus drivers, Transperth InfoCentres (there are four in the city, at the Busport, the Wellington Street bus and train stations, and in Plaza Arcade), the Transperth information offices at the Armadale, Fremantle and Midland interchanges, by calling the Transperth InfoLine on 13 62 13, or from http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au

Big hospitals may shut in shake-up
PRINCESS Margaret and King Edward Memorial hospitals would be closed and moved to the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital site under a radical plan to overhaul the State's ailing health system.

The proposal has been devised by top doctors at the two hospitals, who have been the main opponents to previous plans to merge the hospitals. This means it is almost certain to be implemented.

The State Government is yet to commit to the plan but it would save millions of dollars in a cash-strapped health budget by removing duplication of services and cutting management costs.

Professor Mick Reid, who is charged by the Government with fixing the health system, confirmed yesterday he had received a submission including the plan from hospital staff.

Professor Reid said it was an important submission and his final report to the Government, due in February, would recommend a big shake-up of hospital services within five to 15 years.

The Reid report is also expected to recommend an overhaul of other obstetric services, including the closure of some smaller maternity hospitals.

Senior doctors contacted by The West Australian confirmed that a majority of medical staff at the hospitals supported the move but strict conditions were attached. Staff wanted each hospital to keep its identity and name, as well as all existing services.

Additional services, such as research facilities at KEMH, were also being sought.

One doctor said pressure also had to be applied to ensure important renovation work under way at KEMH did not stall because of a future plan to close it.

Locating the hospitals on the same site is expected to improve access for women to expensive technology and intensive care services.

KEMH does not have an intensive care unit or expensive imaging equipment used to diagnose tumours and other diseases.

Women needing intensive medical care because of complications during birth are taken by ambulance to Sir Charles Gairdner and those suspected of having cancer or needing radiation treatment for cancer also have to be referred to other hospitals.

SCGH, in Nedlands, is the preferred option to house the hospitals because it is the only site which has room for new buildings.

There is no excess land at the PMH or KEMH sites in Subiaco for a major expansion.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20031231/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto117766.html

Ab Fab night of bolly, glitz, groove and glam
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Perth's glitterati are gearing up for the party to end all parties tonight, which this year means anything from slipping into something sexy for an under the stars soiree at the beach to frocking up for a five-star ballroom blitz. DI BAUWENS reports.

THE coast is by far the hottest New Year's Eve destination with two events creating the most hype.

For those who have never been to the world's numero uno clubbing mecca and 24-hour party paradise on the Spanish island of Ibiza then Creative Events Management's summer-drenched offering at the Cottesloe Civic Centre might just be the next best thing.

Cafe del Mar's famed DJ and the spiritual father of legendary Ibiza club life, Jose Padilla, will headline a night of Spanish energy and big Balearic beats among the palms and pines a stone's throw from Cottesloe Beach.

Entrepreneur Danny Hill and wife Charlotte will host a sit-down dinner for 21 guests, including Gus and Anna Simpson, Ricki and Rob Hugall and Sally and Michael Hunt, at their Claremont home before heading off to the Cottesloe Civic Centre to join the masses.

Seasoned party veteran Troy Barbagallo and girlfriend Cassandra Browne will be there along with Keith and Alana John, Multiplex mogul John Roberts, Luc Longley, Andrew Porteous, who is flying in from London, Astrid Timmers, Billy Clough, Adam Sierakowski, Adrian Atkins and Daniel and Bianca Wise.

For $110 each, partygoers will indulge in a night boasting glitz, grooves and glamour. They will sip Caipiroska or Caipirinha cocktails dished out from one of the multiple bars stocked with Wise Vineyards wines and Carlton Crown Lager and sup on a Latin-inspired gourmet menu that includes hot and cold tapas, marinated Mt Barker free range chicken brochettes, skewered prawns and Spanish frittata.

Up-and-coming designer and former international model Jane Coulthard will launch her range of swimwear, beachwear, cocktail and evening dresses in a fully choreographed fashion spectacular. The models will be adorned in stunning Kimberley diamonds including rare pink diamonds in designs by jeweller Frauke Bolten-Boshammer.

Added to the mix will be a feast of global, electronic and house music dished out by Karl Carosella and Mark Abbott with Lazuli adding their blend of percussive house beats and grooves before Eyestorm turn on a wild fireworks display and visuals.

Warren Mead's latest venture, The Oyster Bar on the Beach at Port Beach, will play host to another Cafe del Mar flavoured event featuring DJ and executive producer of the album series, Luke Neville, at a night titled simply On The Beach.

Fashionistas Annabelle Williams, Heidi Briggs and Naomi Katz will be among those watching the sun set and dancing under the stars with flutes of Veuve Clicquot bubbles raised high at midnight at this groovy do where the smell of salt and the sound of crashing waves will all be part of the mix along with sexy house music, freshly shucked oysters and death defying acts by Bizircus all for $135 per head.

Getting very sexy on the night will be property prince Tim Willing and fiance Veronique Nicoll who'll play hard with friends including Adultshop's Malcolm Day and Bree Maddox at an exclusive and private beach-themed bash in North Perth which Tim describes as a "bikini, spa and pole dancing party" where a strict bathers only dress code will be enforced.

Always one to throw a fabulous party, Eileen Bond will jet in from Sydney to break open her favourite Moet & Chandon pink champagne to toast in the new year at home with close friends.

Short skirts and lots of colour will be de rigeur at New Year's Eve parties, according to Elle Boutique's Natasha Marshall.

Bright colours such as fuchsia pink, lemon and bright orange have been the biggest sellers with short, satin, strapless Eileen Kirby dresses the most popular.

Natasha and partner Andrew Donnelly will join a young and glam crew including the likes of Christine Tang, Ben Luker and Tim Lester at a private function upstairs at the Cottesloe Hotel where British DJ Tim Earl and Krafty Kuts will star.

Other members of the local fashion pack will join top designer Roberto Pierucci at a swish do in a luxury penthouse apartment on the river and in Peppermint Grove they will be frocking up for a White Party at Edward and Jo Tait's home.

Back on the coast, Oceanus on the Beach at City Beach is holding a masquerade ball where around 200 guests have forked out $140 each to enjoy Moet & Chandon champagne on arrival and at midnight, cocktail style food, Driftwood wines, Cascade Premium and Skyy vodka to the tune of Little Black Dress who will perform all night and they can expect a pyrotechnics extravaganza at the stroke of 12.

Publicist Rosita Stangl says that calls came in from all over the world as soon as details of the Hopman Cup Ball went up on the website announcing that Sir Cliff Richard was headlining.

"He performed to a packed house at the Burswood Dome in January as part of his world tour and now he's playing at an exclusive NYE event in the Burswood Showroom for around 750 guests," she said.

Those guests include the Slovak Republic's Daniela Hantuchova (who sparked a flurry of paparazzi flashbulbs at last year's ball), Russia's Anastasia Myskina and coach Jens Gerlach, Czech Republic's Barboro Strycova and Canadians Maureen Drake and Frank Dancevic along with Mrs Lucy Hopman and a swag of sponsors and guests who will all abandon themselves to the Hopman Cup Sweet 16 Summer Holiday theme.

Tables of eight cost $2200 and this includes a menu that kicks off with Mahogany Creek smoked chicken on an apple and witlof salad, shellfish bisque with a dash of vermouth and sea salt baked prawn with spicy sauce before a main course of veal tenderloin medallion with vegetables on a Guinness and honey jus and a tropical dessert of mango and passionfruit parfait, all washed down with Yalumba wines.

The hip list including John Alex, Grant Capriotti, Paul O'Connor and Sean Lofts will head for Mt Lawley heartland's Luxe Bar where for $120 a head they can lounge in style and groove under the stars in the amphitheatre in a decadent and extravagant offering featuring drinks, cocktail canapes and an entertainment line-up that includes DJs Dan Stinton, PMI, Ben Taaffe and Paul Raphael. Sohan and Graeme Blevins will dish out live percussion and reigning Beaufort Street goddesses Randa Khamis and Georgia McDonnell-Adams will sing. The dress code? Swank.

Up the street Must Winebar will be transformed into a '70s style den complete with shag pile carpet, lava lamps, bean bags, macrame and, yes, even Farah Fawcett posters. Tony and Loretta Van Merwyk, Grant and Wendy Mason and David and Mia Gosatti will be among those burning the floor to a funk, soul and disco soundtrack and also included in the $165 a head ticket price are authentic 70s cocktails and French champagne and a menu from the era that includes a classic cheese fondue, devils on horseback, mini chicken kiev and Blue Cow cheese hedgehogs. Best dressed guest will win a dinner party for 10 cooked in their home by chef Russell Blaikie.

Sky-high revelling will be on the cards at C Restaurant where for $110 each guests will dine on gourmet cocktail food such as sushi platters, crayfish and saffron shooters, mushroom cappuccinos and smoked salmon and unlimited cocktails, beer, wine and soft drinks.

On the South Perth foreshore party animals including Tiffany Brown, Peter Hughes and Ian Hume will soak up a Gangsters and Dames theme at The Oyster Bar at LiNQ. They'll fork out $120 a head for lavish cocktail food including the ubiquitous oysters, sashimi and BBQ delicacies accompanied by cocktails, bubbles and wine and live entertainment.

And, nostalgia will reign at the Hollywood at the Hilton Ball when the Parmelia Hilton Perth Hotel turns on a night of glamour with all the style of the golden years of Hollywood. Guests have been asked to dress as their favourite movie star or simply to impress. Tickets are $125 each and this includes a four course dinner with Evans & Tate wines.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20031231/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto117764-pic22531.html

Flowers, sexy pieces the Perth Cup head turners
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FROM small feather head pieces to sombreros made of flattened beer cans, hats and the Perth Cup are inseparable.

And while grand "picture" hats will always have a place at Ascot, trackside fashion will have a new twist this New Year's Day, according to florists and milliners.

The Melbourne Cup tradition of dripping hats, bags and clothing in fresh flowers has come to Perth, Flowerwest spokeswoman Colleen Miles-Cadman says. "Flowers are the height of nature's opulence and they make any hat stand out in a crowd," she said.

The theme has swung to small sexy head pieces called "fascinators", according to Passchendales Accessories milliner Tania Tehan.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20031231/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto117768-pic22527.html

Two cop shops to police us
The western suburbs will have just two police stations by 2013 under a proposal being pushed by the WA Police Service.

This will mean the closure of the police stations at Subiaco, Wembley, Cottesloe, Claremont and Nedlands.

Those stations, many of them old houses with transportables as offices in the garden, have been repeatedly condemned by the WA Police Union as cramped, uncomfortable and inadequate.

Two new, bigger police stations will replace them, one in Claremont and one in Subiaco.

Another new station will be built in Leederville.

Nedlands police station will be the first to go - it will close its doors by March this year and its officers, the burglary team, will work at Claremont station for the time being.

Cottesloe's traffic police have already moved from a transportable in Curtin Avenue to the central police complex in East Perth as part of the restructure.

Most of the changes have been recommended by a committee of senior police and public servants who have spent the past six months looking at the needs of the western suburbs and consulting councils.

Their recommendations, handed down last week, will be carried out as money becomes available.

And they will mean improvements in the way that police work gets done in the western suburbs, according to Acting Inspector John Gillespie, who was on the committee.

Insp. Gillespie said the committee had determined what it believed was the best way to provide a good police service with the resources available.

"We had to look at various variables, including the growth of the local community and crime," he said.

Insp. Gillespie said locations had not yet been chosen for the new, purpose-built police stations in Claremont and Subiaco.

The Subiaco Redevelopment Authority wants to sell the police service a site on the corner of Railway Road and Hay Street.

The SRA has withheld that site from sale while waiting for an indication from the Police Service about whether the new station will be built there.

Insp. Gillespie said that, because the restructure of police services in the western suburbs could take nine years, some of the existing smaller stations would be refurbished.

"We are undertaking some current refurbishments at Claremont and Cottesloe to bring it up to a reasonable standard for our people," he said
http://www.postnewspapers.com.au/20040103/news/002.shtml

No, officer, we won't be drinking
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English sisters Sarah (19) and Emily Huntley (16) are among the teenagers being personally greeted at Cottesloe train station by police this summer.

The girls, who are staying in Cottesloe while on holiday, said they did not mind when Sen-Const. Shannon Hounsham and Const. Sharon Croft asked to see inside their handbags and shopping bag.

It is part of a bid to stamp out under-age drinking and street drinking, particularly on hot summer days when some youth have flocked to the Cottesloe foreshore in the afternoon for an evening of drinking.

The results had been disastrous for some teenagers who had became very drunk and got into fights.

Sgt Phil Birch said he had been appalled that, last year, some parents had given their teenaged children alcohol before dropping them off at Cottesloe beach for the night.

"The parents are going out with their friends and they drop the kid off with a carton under their arm and say 'Have a nice night'," he said.

"They won't be doing that this year."

Cottesloe police have organised extra patrols and are using their powers to search for and confiscate alcohol from people under 18.

More than 60 police were due in Cottesloe on New Year's Eve, including transit guards, to meet revellers at the three train stations closest to Cottesloe beach.
http://www.postnewspapers.com.au/20040103/news/005.shtml

Still time to home in on city
THE Australian dream home is undergoing a metamorphosis.

We used to want the classic quarter-acre block to give the kids plenty of space to run around, a house with a wraparound veranda, a patio and maybe a backyard pool.

But many people who bought into that Australian dream in the 60s and 70s are now looking for an easier lifestyle - fewer rooms to clean, no lawns that need cutting and tight security so it is no problem to leave the place for six months for that caravan holiday to Queensland.

The boom in inner-city apartment living in Australia may have been a long time coming compared with other parts of the world, but there is no doubt that it is here.

Apart from baby boomers looking for something smaller once the kids are off their hands, developers have found a ready market in twenty and thirty-something professionals who like the idea of living and working in the same neighbourhood, not to mention the abundance of bars and clubs on their doorstep.

But while there is a clear trend towards city living, rising interest rates have made many small investors understandably wary.

In WA, many people are also wondering whether the Perth market will go the same way as Sydney or Melbourne, where too many inner-city apartments have seen prices stagnate and even tumble.

So is it a good time to buy an inner-city apartment in Perth? The short answer, according to property experts, is yes - providing you are in it for the long haul and are prepared to do some research.

Australian Property Monitors research director Louis Christopher said Perth had not experienced the boom in inner-city apartments that the eastern seaboard cities had, so he did not expect that it would become over-supplied.

"It is not a bad time to buy an apartment but investors really need to do their homework and ensure that the quality of the building they are investing in is really up to scratch," he said.

Research manager David Cresp, from property agent Colliers International, agreed. He said while there were a lot of projects on the drawing board, sales were still strong and most of the apartments completed in Perth had been sold.

Just under 400 inner-city apartments were built in Perth in 2003, compared with a record 800 in 2002. Mr Cresp expected just over 700 to be built in 2004 but he did not believe this would be enough to tilt the market into over-supply.

But Inner City Housing Developers Association president Laurance Goodman warned that some types of apartments could be overdone, even if the entire market did not face a glut. He pointed to serviced apartments, which were let by the day, as one of the danger zones, saying a safer bet would be apartments aimed at owner-occupiers in the $300,000 to $450,000 bracket.

Property experts agreed that investing for at least five years was one of the keys to getting the most out of an apartment investment.

"If you come in expecting very quick gains, you might be lucky and get them, but the reality is the market goes in cycles that usually run for five years," Real Estate Institute of WA public affairs director Lino Iacomella said. "If you (invest long-term), you will maximise your chance of benefiting from a boom."

Mr Iacomella expected interest rate rises to cause inner-city apartment sales to slow in the next 12 months but said there were still good prospects in terms of rent return and growth in property prices. Plans to sink the railway line and to redevelop the foreshore were also good signs for property prices, he said.

Another point experts agreed on was that buyers should be prepared to do more than visit an agent's office or flick through the real estate section of the weekend papers.

Mr Goodman said it was important to find an apartment you would feel comfortable living in, even if you had no plans to do so. A homely apartment was more likely to appeal to long-term tenants.

Features to look out for were lots of storage space and windows, at least one car bay, big balconies and proximity to public transport, restaurants and basic facilities.

Mr Christopher advised buyers to check with the Perth City Council what other projects were planned for the area in the next few years
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040105/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto117981.html

Dullsville? Not to these happy new settlers
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YOU know you have lived in Johannesburg too long when the person in the car in front of you gets hijacked and you are irritated that you missed the traffic lights.

That's the tone of some of the jokes on the WA South African Club website.

So why is it that at least one South African journalist reporting from Perth on the Rugby World Cup last year and South African rugby tourists have been so quick to rubbish Perth with the Dullsville tag?

If Perth is so boring, why do people keep coming here and what makes them stay?

Perth is the most multicultural city in Australia and South Africa fields the fastest growing number of immigrants to WA.

Between the 1996 census and the 2001 census, the number of people born in South Africa and living in WA increased 44 per cent from 10,702 to 15,433. Nearly 20 per cent of South Africans in Australia live in WA. Dianella is their most popular suburb.

Migration Institute of Australia WA president Lance Fee says it is obvious why people come to Perth - it has the most pleasing lifestyle.

"Sydney, they say, is much like London whereas Perth has beaches, sunshine and everything within easy reach," he said.

Mr Fee said different States attracted different immigrants. Queensland was a destination for Taiwanese whereas Chinese people preferred Sydney.

In Perth there was a big group of people from South Africa and Zimbabwe.

It was the closest port of call and had a similar climate, employment opportunities and education system.

South African Sian Dreyer moved to Perth with her family three years ago and loves it. They moved to Perth for the opportunities, lifestyle and the quality of life.

"It is just a really beautiful city," she said. "We are really happy here."
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040105/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto117970-pic22576.html

Party as WA marks 175th year
WESTERN Australia is celebrating a birthday. The state, which covers nearly a third of Australia, is throwing a 12-month-long party this year to mark its 175th birthday.

While the Aboriginal people have been in the West for more than 50,000 years and the first Dutch explorers found the coast in the 1600s, the event recognises the arrival of the first free settlers in WA.

In 1829, three ships – the Challenger, the Parmelia and the Sulphur – arrived and the British formally claimed WA establishing the Swan River Colony.

Two ran aground on a sandbank off the coast of the now thriving port of Fremantle and the settlers lived in makeshift huts on Garden Island. When fertile land was found about 32km from the sea Lieutenant-Governor James Stirling founded two town sites – at Fremantle and the capital, Perth, midway between the port and foothills.

Premier Dr Geoff Gallop said the anniversary was an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the state.

"But I also want the community to look to the future and think about how we can maintain WA's status as a better place to live in," he said. Planned events include:

AN EXPO showcasing the best of the state in six pavilions at the new Perth Convention Centre in August.

A STATE song contest for a song "capturing the essence of WA".

THE naming of 12 WA heritage icons nominated by the public.

REGIONAL sittings of parliament.

A GATHERING of artists from the Kimberley region in Perth for three weeks as part of the Perth International Arts Festival.

A STATE conference in November to cover themes such as history, indigenous issues and creating a sustainable future.

A SOUND and light show telling of the beginning of the Swan River settlement, the creation of a CD database of WA's first arrivals between 1829 and 1838 and

THE development of a bush tucker garden for the public at Gnowangerup, 300km southeast of Perth.

Chairman of the anniversary steering committee Mark McGowan said the event would encourage debate about the future of the state and foster a sense of ownership and pride.
http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,8309148%255E911,00.html

Premier predicts 2004 will be a blue year for burglars
The incidence of burglary has been slashed in the heart of Operation Burglary Countdown territory - a promising pilot program designed to arrest the rate of home burglaries.

Thanks to the combined efforts of police, volunteers and local Government, working with the backdrop of a State-wide campaign to cut Western Australia's burglary rate, preliminary figures show the number of burglaries in December in Bentley was reduced by over a third on the previous year.

There were 58 home burglaries in Bentley in December 2002 - but just 40 in December 2003.

In Morley, where the program is also operating, the home burglary reduction figures are even more encouraging.

There were 45 home burglaries in Morley in December 2002 - but just 15 in December 2003.

Premier Geoff Gallop today heralded a tough new year for burglars as he visited volunteers and other members of the Operation Burglary Countdown team in Bentley. But he has also warned householders in Bentley - and across the State - not to be complacent.

"This is a terrific result for a hard-working community, but as people head back to work and - in a few weeks' time - back to school, it's important to remain as security conscious and vigilant as ever," Dr Gallop said.

Operation Burglary Countdown, an innovative pilot backed by the Office of Crime Prevention and the WA Police Service, is set to expand to regional WA in 2004 and involves a string of community-based and policing initiatives including:

awareness and advice for householders;
free home security audits;
support and advice for victims to reduce re-victimisation;
intelligence-based policing targeting known and repeat offenders; and
property marking and recording of stolen goods disposal routes to make it tougher for burglars to move stolen property.
The Premier said community crime reduction volunteers recruited through the Neighbourhood Watch program had been well-trained by Police and played an important role in the early success of the pilot project in Bentley.

The volunteers helped prevent the re-victimisation of people who had been burgled by providing them with security audits and advice and linking them with victim support services.

"Local government workers - such as parks and gardens officers, rubbish collectors and rangers - in the City of Canning and the Town of Victoria Park, will also be trained to help identify suspicious people or vehicles and collect intelligence for police," Dr Gallop said.

"They will effectively be the 'eyes on the street' in support of crime reduction and this initiative is already up and running in the City of Bayswater."

High school students in the Bentley and Morley areas have been encouraged to report suspicious activities and any information they might possess concerning local burglaries.

Local businesses are also playing their part in promoting good security and heightened awareness of the risk and incidence of burglary.

An interagency plan that targets truancy and anti-social behaviour by children and young people in Bentley who are at risk of offending is soon to be implemented.

Operation Burglary Countdown is backed by a State-wide campaign including:

the establishment of a dedicated State Burglary Reduction Taskforce;
improved communication and intelligence-sharing between Government agencies;
a 'Burglar Beware' awareness campaign warning burglars they will be caught and warning the community to be vigilant about security; and
providing funding of up to $5,000 each for community and Local Government safety and crime prevention projects.
The campaign also includes a number of policing initiatives including the sustained targeting of repeat offenders and use of the latest DNA and fingerprinting technology.

Dr Gallop urged all householders to play their part in reducing WA's rate of home burglaries by getting involved in Neighbourhood Watch, reporting any suspicious behaviour to police and keeping their own homes secure.

"It's a simple message but in about half WA's burglaries, the offender simply walks or climbs in through an open door or window," he said.

"We want every law-abiding Western Australian to have a safe and happy New Year - and every would-be burglar to know their chances of being caught are greater than ever.

"We are keeping our New Year's resolution - to maintain a tough stand on burglaries in WA."

State Government to upgrade security at WA ports
Premier Geoff Gallop has announced a multi-million-dollar security upgrade to protect Western Australia's ports.

Dr Gallop said up to $6.1million would be spent implementing a wide-ranging series of security measures to meet international maritime conditions.

"This security upgrade will significantly reduce security risks to shipping, as well as helping safeguard the integrity and operations of all Western Australia's ports," the Premier said.

WA's ports handle an average of 264 million tonnes of cargo each year, worth more than $8billion in imports and $26billion in exports.

Of all commercial ships visiting Australia, 21 per cent pass through at least one WA port, with more than 5,000 vessel movements through WA ports in 2001-02.

Dr Gallop said while most WA ports were reasonably well secured, others had historically been relatively 'open'.

"Now, more than ever, we need to ensure that security at this State's ports is of the highest possible level, so national and international shipping operators who use them can do so with renewed and increased confidence," he said.

Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the money would be spent at WA's eight major port facilities, with most of the improvements expected to be complete this financial year.

"Some ports, such as Fremantle and Geraldton, will have ongoing security works continue in the following financial year," Ms MacTiernan said.

"While each port has differing requirements, the new security measures will include additional fencing and security, new staff identification systems and closed-circuit surveillance cameras, as well as risk assessment and staff training."

The improved security measures are aimed at meeting stringent maritime conditions imposed by the USA as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

Any non-compliance could result in ships being prevented from entering American ports - and possibly other international ports - thereby affecting crucial trade flows.

Premier's Office - 9222 9475
Minister's Office - 9213 6400

Security upgrade at WA's ports

Albany Port Authority: Albany Port already has a number of security arrangements in place. In 2003-04 the Albany Port Authority will spend $3,200 on developing a port security and risk assessment plan.

Broome Port Authority: The Broome Port Authority will spend almost $150,000 on developing a port security and risk assessment plan and installing additional security fencing and lighting, a ship identification system, a security identification card system and closed circuit security cameras.

Bunbury Port Authority: Bunbury Port already has perimeter fencing and security gates, which restrict access to all operational areas. The Bunbury Port Authority will spend $100,000 on installing video surveillance and a photographic identification system and fencing off operating berth areas so that access during the loading and unloading of ships is restricted.

Dampier Port Authority: The Dampier Port Authority will spend $1.5million on installing a smart card security system, an automated ship identification system, heavy-duty security gates and a closed circuit television system at four access points, additional perimeter fencing and lighting and a radar system in the Communication Tower.

Esperance Port Authority: Esperance Port already has security fencing and lighting and a security swipe card system in place. The security assessment recently completed by consultants does not identify any other significant security measures or works are required. The Esperance Port Authority expects to spend no more than $50,000 in order to meet the Maritime Transport Security Act 2003.

Fremantle Port Authority: The Fremantle Port Authority will spend almost $2million between 2003-04 and 2006-07 on upgrading security in three areas - the Fremantle Inner Harbour, the Kwinana Bulk Terminal and the Kwinana Bulk Jetty. In 2003-04, $1.34million will be spent on Inner Harbour security:


replacing and upgrading time lapse video recording equipment ;
upgrading and extending the closed circuit television surveillance system;
improving the electronic gate system to better control access;
installing a personalised security card system;
modernising and relocating the port security centre; and
in 2004-05, $405,000 will be spent on upgrading security fencing and barriers and after 2004-05, $240,000 will be spend improving lighting and developing new parking areas.
Geraldton Port Authority: The Geraldton Port Authority will spend $2million upgrading and installing new security measures. In 2003-04, $1million will be spent on installing security fencing, which will isolate an area east of Graham Road, new security lighting and gates, an automated card access system and an Automated Identification System and Vessel Traffic System to ensure shipping safety. In 2004-05, following the relocation of the railway line as part of the Southern Transport Corridor project, $1million will be spent installing additional security fencing, new security lighting and gates and a closed circuit camera surveillance system.

Port Hedland Port Authority: Port Hedland Port Authority will spend $300,000 on developing a security and risk assessment plan, relocating the main entry point and installing new security gates, a swipe card system and new fencing.

Note:

Expenditure - Expenditure on security measures by port authorities is subject to the approval of port security plans by the Commonwealth Department of Transport and Regional Services. Expenditure amounts therefore anticipated by WA's port authorities could change
WA's privately operated ports - Private operators are required to meet the cost of new security measures to be introduced at WA's eight privately operated ports (Derby, Wyndham, Onslow, Carnarvon, Port Walcott, Varanus Island, Barrow Island, Yampi Sound). However, the Department of Planning and Infrastructure, which administers and regulates these privately operated ports, will provide $150,000 towards the development of port security and risk assessment plans.

At nearly 100, Maj is still going strong
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ITS limited size and ageing equipment will not stop His Majesty's Theatre surviving another 100 years, says general manager Rodney Phillips.

The historic Perth landmark marks its centenary this year and staff began celebrations yesterday with the opening of a show based on the children's story The Emperor's New Clothes.

Festivities will culminate with the sealing of a time capsule at the theatre on December 24, the date of the theatre's 100th anniversary.

Mr Phillips said Australia had few theatres of similar prestige or heritage value.

"So many buildings have been demolished over the last 30 to 40 years and given way to all those skyscrapers," he said.

"I think there perhaps has been an emotional backlash among the public that they want a building like this to remain.

"It gives them a feeling of pride, of nostalgia and security."

Mr Phillips said the theatre's limited seating capacity of 1200 and a need to upgrade lighting and sound equipment were linked to its future. Several million dollars was needed to upgrade equipment.

Though many productions would bypass the theatre for bigger venues, His Majesty's still had a future.

"Certain artforms, such as opera, ballet, large plays and middle-sized musicals fit perfectly in the Maj and will continue to do so," Mr Phillips said.

"It also has a certain special aura about it and it is a very well-known theatre internationally.

"If you come to Perth and you are a performer of international quality you want to play at the Maj."
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Swan river to get $15m clean-up
PERTH'S Swan River is to receive an extra $15 million from the state government to restore its foreshores and prevent damaging algal blooms.

Naming the river as the first heritage icon of the state's 175th anniversary celebrations, Premier Geoff Gallop today said the money would help preserve the river for future generations.

The premier also announced that a new Swan River Park was being planned, to recognise the status of the the river within the city.

"The reputation of the state and the city is very much linked with Swan River, so we have got to make sure that it is managed properly," Dr Gallop told Perth radio 6PR.

"We will be making a significant injection of funds into the Swan River Trust to really come to terms with the issues of the relationship between the Swan River and its catchments and tributaries."

Around $4 million will go towards restoring riverbanks, foreshores, beaches and wetland areas around the river, while a further $4 million will help strip algal-producing nutrients from drainage systems.

More money will also go towards monitoring and nutrient reduction programs, with a new Swan River Act proposed to give greater powers to the Swan River Trust, the agency charged with protecting the river.

An algal bloom in the river in February 2000, caused by nutrients washed into the river by heavy rains, forced the government to issue a health warning advising against swimming in the water and eating fish from the river.

Dr Gallop said although the risk of algal blooms could not be completely eradicated, preventative measures could be increased.

"We want to deal with the severity of them (algal blooms), because if you have too many of them and they are too severe, they are going to undermine the whole ecosystem and health of the river," Dr Gallop said.

"We have had two in recent years, so we need to make sure the severity of them and the frequency of them is significantly reduced."
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8381307%255E26462,00.html

$15m boost to Swan health
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CONSERVATIONISTS have welcomed plans to spend $15 million on the health of the Swan River but warned there was no easy fix.

WA Conservation Council co-ordinator Rachel Siewert said the river was under extreme stress from inappropriate land use.

It would take several years to see the benefits of the State Government's announcement of extra funding for restoration and drainage projects over the next four years, she said.

"The Conservation Council has been calling for additional funding to be allocated to addressing management of the Swan River for many years, so we are pleased to see the Government has responded with this announcement," she said.

Under proposed legislative changes the Swan River Trust would expand its authority from the parks and reserves surrounding the river to the entire catchment system.

Hundreds of fish died in the Swan last year when an unseasonal algal bloom starved the water of oxygen.

Trust board member Pat Hart said much of the money would be spent on community catchment groups and assisting local councils with riverbank restoration projects.

Environment Minister Judy Edwards said recent changes to environmental laws meant anyone deliberately polluting the catchment could be prosecuted by the Department of Environment.

"This is really about greater co-ordination and more power for the trust to be able to control water quality," she said.

A department spokeswoman said investigators were still probing a 160,000-litre spill of raw sewage into the Swan in November.

The Water Corporation's holding tanks failed to prevent the crisis and the Health Department was forced to close the river for seven days.

The Swan River was the second most popular choice from The West Australian readers when a call for nominations was made before the WA Heritage Icons project was officially launched.

The overwhelming favourite was Kings Park - the inspiration for the creation of the Swan River Park under Dr Gallop's proposed changes.

An icon a month will be announced during the State's 175th year and likely contenders include Rottnest Island, Ningaloo Reef, Wave Rock, Cottesloe Beach, the State's wildflowers and His Majesty's Theatre.

Dr Gallop said it was the Swan's unique role linking the past and present which influenced his decision to honour the river first.
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We're in a State of boom
WA IS revelling in an economic boom with figures released yesterday showing business confidence at a seven-year high, investment in mining soaring and employ- ment opportunities rising for the third month in a row.

The sharp recovery, which has exceeded economists' expectations, has been fuelled by the State's buoyant petroleum sector, a bumper harvest for farmers and a turnaround in tourism.

WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Lyndon Rowe said the figures revealed a marked turnaround from the pessimism of early last year, when drought, SARS and the Iraq war had caused many businesses to believe conditions would get worse.

The latest CCI-BankWest survey found WA businesses were more confident about the medium-term outlook than at any time since 1997.

Expectations in areas such as trading conditions, sales turnover and profitability were even stronger and in many cases were approaching 20-year highs.

The survey results, released yesterday, coincided with fresh official figures showing business investment in WA grew by 5.4 per cent in the September quarter the seventh consecutive increase since 2001.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, much of that growth stemmed from the mining sector, which saw investment soar 70.6 per cent to $551 million in the three months.

The good news for the mining industry continued to flow yesterday when iron ore giants BHP and Rio Tinto revealed they would reap price rises this year of 18.6 per cent under deals struck in United States dollars.

However, the rise highlighted pain being inflicted on WA exporters by the soaring Australian dollar, which prevented the miners from reaping the full price increase awarded to them in US dollar terms.

Mr Rowe acknowledged the rising dollar was the flip side of the strong State and national economies and had emerged in the CCI survey as a big concern for WA business.

"There are clouds on the horizon," he said. "The dollar is one of those clouds but there is not a lot you can do about that."

He noted that staff availability was becoming a concern for some WA firms, with 30 per cent of businesses regarding labour as scarce.

The ABS report showed that despite a steady rise in the number of unemployed West Australians, employment in WA actually rose in November for the third month in a row. About 3700 workers gained full-time jobs between September and November. The figure was partially offset by the number of people employed part-time, which was down 6500 over the same period.

Premier Geoff Gallop said the two reports were great news for WA and showed that the State was the best place to live and do business.

He credited his Government for responsible financial management and big capital works spending.

But Mr Rowe said he believed the recovery reflected the more competitive environment created by economic reforms that had occurred in WA over the last 10 to 15 years.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040115/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto118456.html

Reality TV bites in Northbridge
REALITY TV has hit the streets of Perth with a closed-down Northbridge restaurant set to be the hottest, most-talked-about eatery in town.

The vacant Lake St premises have been selected as the Perth location for Channel 7's reality show My Restaurant Rules.

The shopfront was a hub of activity this week as the show's WA contestants, Amanda and Ash, made their first visit, shadowed by camera crews.

The Atwell couple immediately began making plans for the restaurant's transformation from cheap Thai eatery and karaoke bar into prime-time palate perfection.

Producer Pip Mattiske said the pair had been shocked by what they found when they inspected the premises, which have been vacant for more than a year.

"Ash and Amanda were excited when they were given the map showing that the restaurant was in Northbridge, but they were certainly very shocked when they walked in," she said. "The interior was a bit of a shambles because the restaurant has basically been gutted.

"It's got dirty old red carpet that's wrecked and pulled up and tiles that are quite dirty, so they have basically had to spend the past few days cleaning up the site."

Amanda, 25, and Ash, 26, have eight weeks to turn the premises, opposite the Imax cinema, into a fully operational restaurant. The couple are competing against four other duos in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide.

With a starting budget of $50,000, contestants will renovate, design, staff and run their eateries.

Perth people will have the chance to make bookings or apply to work at the restaurant, with viewers around the country voting on which restaurant they believe is best.

The winning couple will keep the restaurant and receive a cash prize.

Ms Mattiske said Amanda and Ash, who have been together for four years and were engaged three months ago, were hard-working and determined to make their restaurant a success.

"It's a very tight turnaround to get a restaurant up and running from scratch in eight weeks. But they are very down-to-earth and have a real verve for life," nshe said
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Flyers and fire to light up the sky
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MORE than 400,000 people are expected to set their gaze on Perth's skyline today for a five-hour air show and traditional fireworks.

The 29-minute Skyworks display will be the result of the expertise of 35 WA pyrotechnicians.

Explosive Entertainment company director Robert McDermott said more than 240 hours had been put into organising the show.

Eight tonnes of fireworks, or 16,800 individual shots, will be fired from seven barges spread along the Swan River, six rooftops in the Perth CBD and four boats.

A 175m waterfall display will be shot from the Narrows Bridge.

"The advances in technology have been amazing," he said. "We can fire 30 shots a second. Just a few years ago, it was two or three shots per second."

Earlier, the skies will be alive with water bombers, RAAF displays and freefall skydiving. The air show will run from 3pm and the Skyworks start at 8pm.

Police will enforce a no-alcohol policy to avoid a repeat of last year's run of alcohol-related injuries.
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Perth proves it's 'Popularville'
EXPATRIATES have named Perth as one of the best cities in the world to live and work.

A survey conducted in 130 cities by The Economist magazine found Perth came fourth as a preferred base. Melbourne, Vancouver and Vienna came in ahead.

WA Tourism Commission chief executive Richard Muirhead said the result meant Perth was no longer "Dullsville" or "Glumsville".

"Given it is rated fourth in the world by an expatriate population, which has no doubt wide-ranging experience of attractive locations, this rather puts paid to the notion of Perth as Dullsville," he said.

The challenge for the commission and the tourism industry was to convey this message more clearly to the international market.

"Positive feedback from expatriates living in our city is a very effective marketing tool for Western Australia," he said.

Melbourne outshone Perth in the eyes of expatriate workers because of its transport and, incredibly, its weather.

Cities are judged on 12 factors divided into three categories - health and safety, culture and environment, and infrastructure.

Beilby WA manager Mark Nicholas said he was not surprised that Melbourne's weather was a favourite with expats, especially the British, yet Perth had much to offer.

"The big plus we have got here, particularly if you are coming from Europe or South-East Asia, is space. Personal space and the cost of living," he said.

KPMG Perth chairman Steve Scudamore, who came to Perth in 1978 for a two-year stint and decided to stay, said several of the firm's employees also had moved here permanently.

"That is a reflection of what people think about Perth as a place to live," he said.

Austal Ships executive chairman John Rothwell said Perth had been an attraction for crews of luxury yachts, naval architects and draughtspeople.

"While owners of the luxury boats tend to run their businesses from Europe or the US and, as a result, find Perth too remote, the crews of the boats seem to look forward to coming to Perth," he said.

"Not just because of the weather and lifestyle but also because it's a beautiful city."

Hamersley Iron human resources general manager Michael Bisset said people recruited from overseas tended to be more for senior positions.

ChevronTexaco Australia external affairs manager James Pearson said Perth's attraction was its great lifestyle combined with working on the world-class Gorgon project.

About 8 per cent of ChevronTexaco's 450 workers in Australia are expatriates.

Woodside Petroleum spokesman Rob Millhouse said one of the selling points for attracting people to work for the company was Perth.
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Bold visions for West
WESTERN Australia's Planning Minister Alannah MacTiernan has spent almost 30 years thinking about life in Perth. So it's no surprise she's got some big ideas for the portfolio that most pollies shun.

MacTiernan grew up in Melbourne but came to Perth aged 18 to work for her older brother. She loved it and within a few months was back, to stay. She reckons it's given her a different perspective on the place: "I'm someone who has chosen the city."

Her passion for planning emerged while studying it as part of her law degree, at the University of Western Australia. After graduating in the 1970s, while practising as a solicitor, she helped set up community groups such as the light-rail action group and inner-city residents association.

She was on Perth City Council from the 1980s to the early 1990s when "there was huge development going on, and planning issues were very central". She was also on the WA Heritage Commission, and was Opposition planning spokeswoman in the lead-up to the last election in early 2001.

What planning minister in memory - think reformers like Evan Walker in Victoria's Cain government, or Rob McClelland under Kennett, even Bob Carr under Wran - has had a better run-up to the portfolio?

Certainly by the time Premier Geoff Gallup took over the reins she was the obvious candidate for what is a super-portfolio in anyone's terms: encompassing planning, transport and infrastructure. She has held it continuously since (there've been no major reshuffles anyway) and has made it her own.

The WA Property Council's executive director Joe Lenzo says MacTiernan is regarded as "strong" within the industry and across her "monstrous" portfolio, and alongside Treasurer Eric Ripper would be one of the key members in the Government.

She has pioneered massive community engagement exercises, billed as "dialogues", with the city, and attracted hundreds of people to discuss planning objectives for Perth.

People who attend say the sessions are packed, and very well-run - if tightly scripted.

"I understand that you can have all the experts in the world come up with a magnificent plan for Perth but unless you've got the hearts and minds of the people with you, you are never going to be able to deliver it," MacTiernan says.

"Planning has at its core a value system and you can't determine what values are unless you've got contact with the community."

The amazing thing is, people actually turn up. A similar engagement exercise on road trains was also well attended. She says: "I don't think governments should just be dispensing the wisdom of Solomon." She has been highly critical of the media's coverage of planning issues, generally.

She was probably bruised by the media's reaction to her big-ticket item: the new $1.5 billion Southern Railway to Mandurah, a beachside regional centre around 71km south-west of Perth.

The project could yet turn out to be a millstone around the Gallup Government's neck. Critics have dubbed it a "train to nowhere" and the city's own broadsheet, The West Australian, has declared war on the project.

But MacTiernan claims that polls show 90 per cent public support for the new rail and says she gets the same feedback from the people she meets.

She compares the project with the pipeline to Kalgoorlie laid by the WA's visionary chief engineer C.Y. O'Connor, that carried water to the goldfields. Critics of the day had said it couldn't be built.

"One is always a bit embarrassed to compare oneself to these greats of history," MacTiernan told The Australian last week. "I just reflect that the style of opposition we've had is very similar. It's been a relentless campaign."

Undoubtedly there are some tough questions surrounding the railway. Perhaps most important is, can the Government stick to a budget?

An early precedent was set when the Government exceeded by over $48 million its original $137.6 million budget for a project upgrading the public wharf on the Burrup Peninsula.

MacTiernan counters that the incoming Labor Government took over a project that needed radical surgery - including a management shake-out at the Dampier Port Authority - and in the end there was no real alternative to building a whole new, separate jetty for the use of Burrup Fertilisers.

The Southern railway project is also treading dangerous water financially. Costs have already risen from $1.4 billion to $1.5 billion, largely because Leighton-Kumagai Gumi's $320 million tender for tunnelling aspects of the project came in more than $70 million over the budget estimate.

MacTiernan argues that a 7 per cent rise when shifting from feasibility to tendering hardly constitutes a blowout, "not when you compare it to some of the projects over east, like the Parramatta rail link".

For her there is a bigger issue, over-reliance on cars in Perth. She says the Australian Bureau of Statistics recently identified Perth's south-west corridor, with a fast-growing population of 360,000, as having one of the highest densities of car-use in Australia.

Despite these arguments, it has been understandable that people got jittery about state finances when they heard of plans to go one step further and sink a portion of the existing Fremantle line that divides the CBD from Northbridge, as well. It just sounds expensive.

Warren Kerr, president of the WA Institute of Architects and chair of the Government's Year of the Built Environment 2004 steering committee, argues that it would be a fantastic decision for the city to make in this year, the 175th anniversary of its settlement.

"It's a once in 100-year opportunity to get this right," he says.

The opportunity arises partly because the new Southern railway will tunnel through the city to Perth's main station, ultimately joining the line to Joondalup in the city's northern suburbs.

"It's very much a second-order issue," MacTiernan says. She admits, however, that she is working hard with Perth City Council to make it happen. It would not involve any cost to the public, she says, but would be financed by sale of the freed-up land above the underground train line.

Obviously keen on the idea, MacTiernan has a few choice words for those who "come out with all these great ideas when Labor's in Government, but when the Libs have their dodgy plans you never hear a peep from them".

Her passion for architecture and urban design, and interest in projects like sinking the CBD rail line, invites the comparison to former prime minister Paul Keating and his ideas for burying the Cahill Expressway which runs above Sydney's Circular Quay.

"He's a hero of mine. I think that's a great compliment," she said.

MacTiernan rejects the suggestion that, like Keating, her passion for aesthetics and urban design could alienate her from the majority of ordinary voters or stamp her as a member of the "latte set".

She says there is nothing elitist about the Government's planning agenda that is also focused on improvements in Perth's outer suburban areas, like Armadale and Gosnells, as well as the CBD.

For the record, MacTiernan added: "I don't drink latte".
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Music makes a mark at the Museum
The WA Museum is making music its focus with three exciting exhibitions on the subject kicking off this week.

Culture and Arts Minister Sheila McHale said the exhibitions would provide insights for all with glimpses into the history of popular music, the paths taken by contemporary artists and an added photographic spotlight on local talent.

'Between the Sheets: A Century of Australian Music'; 'Spin: WA music from underground to on the air'; and 'Forever Easy: Rock Photos' by Michael Wylie will all begin this Friday with free entry.

Ms McHale said that 'Between the Sheets' featured original sheet music and artefacts of popular music from the last century and had been mounted as a touring exhibition by the National Library of Australia. It will run until March 28, 2004.

'Spin: WA music from underground to on the air' is an interactive multimedia exhibition featuring music clips, videos and interviews with local musicians from the 1970s to 2003.

"The exhibition showcases the pioneers of rock and the local music scene, highlighting a few success stories and, with the aid of multimedia displays, the new directions being taken in the industry," the Minister said.

Ms McHale said the Gallop Government was committed to supporting the development of Western Australia's contemporary music industry and had invested $5million over four years through the Contemporary Music Taskforce.

"The taskforce has been instrumental in developing strategies focused on building audiences, creating infrastructure and providing direct support for musicians, producers and managers to pursue careers in the music industry," she said.

"'Spin', developed by the WA Museum with help from the Department of Culture and the Arts and the Contemporary Music Taskforce, is an important part of our promotion of a vital, successful and sustainable music industry in our State.

"'Forever and Easy: Rock Photography' by Michael Wiley, documents 10 years of Perth's original music scene through the eyes of the well-known local photographer. It will be on show until March 28 with the Spin exhibition continuing until May 9."

Museum echoes WA's musical memories
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THEY have stamped and strutted on the stage in everything from flannel shirts to lycra pants and silk paisley head bands, but WA's musicians have always been over-achievers.

From Bon Scott and the Triffids to the Eurogliders and Rolf Harris, the list of WA musicians to leave their mark across the country and around the world is long.

But the story of WA music is far bigger than the chart toppers, according a new homage to our local talent which opens at the WA Museum in Perth today.

The curators of Spin: WA music from underground to on-the-air, have brought together for the Perth International Arts Festival posters, videos, instruments, costumes and biographies on the people and the venues that have shaped the Perth music scene for the past 30 years.

"I think everyone who has been to a gig in Perth will find something to connect with in this exhibition," co-curator Anna Edmundson said yesterday.

"Music has a way of encapsulating a particular time in fashion and politics, I think, more than any other art form."

Music journalist and Spin co-curator Bob Gordon said the exhibition aimed to be evocative of WA music from the 1970s when changes in liquor licensing laws saw an explosion of the pub band scene.

"Every music scene from New York to London has its headline acts but there is always a cast of bands that make the scene what it is, but never receive the acclaim," Gordon said.

"One of the focuses of this exhibition is bands like Circus Murders, Cinema Prague and Botticelli's Angels that have been a big part of the Perth scene in the last 10 years."

The exhibition opens today at the temporary exhibitions gallery at the WA Museum in Perth and runs until Sunday, May 9.

It is also booked to travel to Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Albany and Broome
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Eight of the best in new tourism high
WA HAS won eight coveted Australian Tourism Awards, the State's best result in 15 years.

The victory was seen as a coming-of-age for WA tourism by industry leaders who gathered in Perth for a week of conferences ahead of last night's announcement at the Burswood resort.

Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo won the Major Tourist Attraction category, one of the seven awards claimed by Queensland.

WA won awards for ecotourism, indigenous experiences and function venues as well as three of the seven accommodation categories.

It is WA's biggest haul in the 15-year history of the national awards and a significant result by an individual State.

Burswood International Resort Casino won the Meetings and Business Tourism award but was beaten in the Luxury Accommodation category by the Radisson Playford in Adelaide.

The Kimberley region's acclaimed beachfront getaway Kooljaman at Cape Leveque won the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Tourism award.

The Ecotourism award went to tour operator Rockingham Dolphins while the WA Maritime Museum won the New Tourism Development award.

Seashells Serviced Apartments in Scarborough and the Matilda Bay Restaurant and Function Centre in Crawley were two other WA winners.

Margaret River's world-class Hidden Valley Forest Retreat won the award for Hosted Accommodation and Faraway Bay - The Bush Camp, in the northern Kimberley, took out the Unique Accommodation award.

More than 700 tour operators, heads of State tourism authorities and industry groups attended last night's presentations.

Federal Tourism Minister Joe Hockey announced a $2 million national tourism accreditation program.

"The reality is that Australia will never be the cheapest or closest destination for most tourism markets, so we must compete on increasingly important intangibles like quality, value, consumer expectations and visitor satisfaction," he said.

The funding will be available from July for two years, after which the system is expected to pay for itself through fees.

Australian Tourism Accreditation Association president Laurie O'Meara welcomed the announcement as a big step forward.

About 3000 businesses are accredited through the association's program, according to Mr O'Meara.

Accreditation criteria will include benchmarks for customer service, licensing, environmental care and risk management practices.

Tourism Council WA executive officer Sally Hollis said WA was a pioneer in accrediting tour operators.

More than 600 businesses had displayed the "green tick" of quality since 1997.

"We commend the Government for encouraging the adoption of a national system which will lift industry standards, ensure consistency of quality and help deliver a better tourism product right across the country," she said.

Other major winners included the World Heritage-listed Naracoorte Caves National Park in South Australia, which took out the Significant Tourist Attraction award.

The caves, home to fossils and bats, are adorned with stalactites and stalagmites, drawing thousands of visitors a year.

Mr Hockey said the winners and nominees in all categories set standards for service and quality that would help Australian tourism reach its growth potential faster.
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Festival showcases WA
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PRETENDERS singer Chrissie Hynde was devastated that illness forced her to cancel Saturday's performance at the Moonlight Music and Wine festival.

The 52-year-old rock star was diagnosed with a severe middle ear and throat infection and her doctor advised her not to perform.

Speaking from a Perth hotel yesterday, Hynde said she was "really depressed" by the cancellation.

"The last time I cancelled a show was 20 years ago because the doctor said I was going to have a miscarriage if I went on stage," Hynde said.

"I've gotten up on stage with fevers, cortisone injections, all sorts of things, but this doctor said I could do irreparable damage to my ears."

She apologised to her fans and promised to return in the near future.

The fact the Pretenders would not play was announced at 5pm, only two hours before they were due on stage. Fourteen people took up the offer of a full refund, according to Moonlight promoter Michael Chugg.

The Pretenders' pull-out was not the only glitch in an otherwise wonderful day at Claremont Showground. The train drivers' strike forced concert-goers to find alternative transport, angering Chugg.

"Thank you Mr Premier, you arsehole," the colourful character announced from the stage after Bryan Ferry's headlining set.

Despite Hynde's illness and the rail strike, the second instalment of Moonlight was a success.

The 12,000 tickets included around 900 door sales at $140 each, with attendees enjoying West Australian wine and gourmet food in addition to the music.

Members of Cold Chisel rocked up just after midday to ensure they tasted the best the Moonlight wine pavilion had to offer, and British singer songwriter Beth Orton, Joe Camilleri from Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons and other artists were also spotted sampling wine.

The mingling of performers and fans was indicative of the relaxed, sociable event.

It was not unusual to see rocker Billy Thorpe watching Orton's set, or Orton in the crowd during Bonnie Raitt's excellent performance.

The crowd were mainly middle-aged fans - one group wore T-shirts that read "Old Farts' Big Day Out" - who brought folding chairs and rugs to guarantee a comfortable day.

The Wailers tested audience energy levels in the afternoon, while the Robert Cray Band and Bryan Ferry added romantic vibes for Valentine's Day.

Ferry, 58, got everyone on their feet for his hits, like Let's Stick Together and Love is the Drug.

Cold Chisel delivered a set of classics, including Khe Sahn, Cheap Wine and the apt Saturday Night.

However, the popular rock band, added to the line-up late to guarantee greater numbers, did not match the class of the international acts.

Chugg promised Moonlight would return next year, the only question being whether the festival would stay true to original intention of providing top-class entertainment for music connoisseurs or become a populist rock'n'roll show
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Juvenile offenders to have electronic monitoring devices
As part of the State Government's crackdown on serious juvenile crime in Western Australia young offenders will be attached with electronic monitoring devices.

Justice Minister Michelle Roberts said today the new laws were part of a major reform package by the State Government designed to help protect the community from serious juvenile offenders.

Mrs Roberts said up to 250 serious repeat young offenders could be targeted with the new electronic devices.

"The community has a right to expect that serious young offenders, who have received the privilege of early release from courts or custody, are properly managed," Mrs Roberts said.

"We are also considering other measures which will further crackdown on repeat juvenile offenders who fail to meet their obligations of community supervision."

Mrs Roberts said proposed amendments to the Young Offenders Act would give authorities the scope to acquire and utilise the latest technology to monitor young offenders on curfews and community-based sanctions.

"Creating a safer community is a priority for our Government and technology is now providing the answers to boosting our security measures, seven days a week, 24 hours a day," she said.

"The monitoring device will be a valuable tool in helping selected juvenile offenders reintegrate into society on release from detention.

"The first six months after release can be a particularly critical time for some young people as they face strong temptations to reoffend."

Mrs Roberts said, following a successful statewide pilot, the Department of Justice's Electronic Monitoring Unit was now using the latest generation equipment to electronically monitor adult offenders subject to community-based orders.

"Under the new system, a site monitoring unit is located in the offender's home and sets an electronic boundary around the property," she said.

"The offender wears a tamper-proof personal identification device around the ankle that triggers an alarm at a remote monitoring location if the boundary is crossed or the equipment is interfered with in any way."

Mrs Roberts said the system was far better than previous arrangements when offenders were randomly checked by phone.

"In contrast, now we can tell immediately if someone is trying to tamper with their ankle device, or even if an offender moves the base monitoring unit around within their home.

"The monitor will immediately call and order it to be returned to its station, much to the surprise of the offender."

Mrs Roberts said WA already had some of the toughest sentencing laws in Australia and the new laws will further increase the management of juvenile offenders in the community.

"Our Government will continue to examine and access new ways to safeguard the community from serious and repeat juvenile offenders."

Eyes on our teen beauties
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COULD one of the fresh new faces on the Perth modelling scene be the next big thing to make an impact on the international stage?

Fashion history shows that the most isolated city in the world can also lay claim to being the source of some of the world's most beautiful and successful women in the modelling arena.

Many of Perth's fashion glitterati attended a preview of Vivien's Model Management's talent for 2004, all looking for a girl with that special something.

According to Vivien's Perth manager Christine Fox, the ones who will make it to the top aren't necessarily what you'd expect.

"She just stands out from the crowd," Fox said. "She doesn't have to be a classic beauty, but just has to have her own unique quality."

The continuing controversy over the pubescent age of some models has done nothing to stem the flow of schoolgirls eager to try their luck.

Ask those in the know why they need to be so young and the response is that the industry demands it.

This particular show boasted a crop of young teens (one just 13) who have already refined the art of the perfect pout and mastered the coltish steps favoured by catwalk queens.

Right now Perth girls Gemma Ward and Nicole Trunfio are taking the fashion capitals of London, New York, Paris and Milan by storm.

Sixteen-year-old Gemma, discovered through the Perth heat of Search for a Supermodel 2002, has enjoyed a stellar rise to the top.

At New York Fashion Week she worked for Vera Wang, Michael Kors, Anna Sui, Zac Posen and Calvin Klein.

She graced the couture catwalks of Paris for Valentino, Ungaro, Versace, Givenchy and Yamamoto and features in an American Vogue editorial couture shoot by acclaimed photographer Annie Leibowitz, not to mention another for Italian Vogue with Paolo Roversi and Harpers Bazaar with Patrick Demarchelier.

And, Gemma, the girl with a striking resemblance to a young Goldie Hawn and who featured on the February cover of Vogue Australia touting her as the next Australian supermodel in a shoot by Perth photographer Justin Smith, will also appear on the covers of British Vogue and W Magazine.

Spotted while shopping in a Perth boutique, 17-year-old Nicole is also enjoying the trappings of modelling superstardom, jetsetting between the fashion capitals in an endless round of photo shoots and catwalk appearances.

She clocked up 47 shows in New York, Milan and Paris in her first season.

A muse for Karl Lagerfeld who personally photographed her for Australian Vogue and a Dolce and Gabbana campaign in New York, Nicole appeared on the Parisian runways for Chanel and Emmanuel Ungaro and also strutted her stuff at New York Fashion Week for the likes of Michael Koors, Diane Von Furstenberg, Oscar de la Renta, Betsey Johnson and Vera Wang.

Others poised for success are the current Young Face of David Jones, 17-year-old Melissa Moyle, and 16-year-old Amy Finlayson.

And, of course, Megan Gale needs no introduction.

So, was there a future supermodel in our midst at this week's talent preview?

Features editor of Vogue Australia Claire Barker, in Perth to research a story for the style bible, was enthusiastic in her praise of the local talent.

"It's true that some of the most incredible girls are coming out of Perth right now," she says. "And, I think with the success of Gemma Ward, Nicole Trunfio and Pania Rose that everyone's looking to Perth for the next new face."
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Ankle monitors for bad offenders win support
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THE WA Council for Civil Liberties has backed a proposal to tag serious repeat juvenile offenders with electronic monitoring devices so long as it is coupled with proper supervision and rehabilitation.

Justice Minister Michelle Roberts announced the plan yesterday.

The ankle devices, aimed at up to 250 of WA's worst juvenile offenders, raise an alarm at a remote monitoring location if the wearer crosses a boundary or tampers with the equipment.

Proposed changes to the Young Offenders Act later this year would give authorities the power to use the devices to ensure young people complied with conditions of their parole, such as a strict curfew or home detention.

Council for Civil Liberties WA president Peter Weygers said that if monitoring was part of a good rehabilitation program, it would be a good thing and perhaps better than keeping a young person in detention for longer.

He said the council had always believed more should be done about repeat offenders.

"The rest of the community is being held to ransom by repeat offenders," he said.

But Juvenile Justice Network convener the Rev. George Davies said the Government was pandering to an anxious public with simplistic solutions.

"It's what you do with a dog you don't trust and can't control, but a young person out of prison needs people around in their life, not a bracelet around their ankle," he said.

"It is good to go to talkback radio for the agenda but you don't go there for the strategies, they will be simplistic and fundamentalist."

Law Society president Ian Weldon said that if monitoring meant the community supervision was more effective then he did not see a problem as long as it was part of an overall program.

"We do have to understand that the community is very upset about serious juvenile repeat offenders," he said.

"In the end you need to turn these kids around some way, otherwise they are a problem for ever. You have to break the cycle in some way."

Opposition justice spokeswoman Sue Walker said the Government was naive to expect the public to believe the monitoring devices would be the answer to juvenile crime.

Ms Walker said she was not against tagging offenders but questioned what the Government was doing about the real issue of proper supervision.

"It is not going to correct the problems that are in the system, of managing offenders in relation to their conditions," she said
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Expanded 'Buy WA First' initiative to create more jobs for Western Australians
State Development Minister Clive Brown today launched stage three of the 'Buy WA First' initiative, aimed at encouraging shoppers to buy Western Australian manufactured products.

Stage three of the initiative will see Action's 38 WA supermarkets join Coles, Dewsons, Supa Valu and Foodland supermarkets in highlighting WA goods, supported by posters, in-store promotions and press advertising.

Mr Brown said WA was a world class producer of grocery and consumer items and Western Australians who wanted to maximise job opportunities here should give their preference to local products.

"WA grocery and consumer items are sought after throughout Australia and throughout the world," he said.

"The 'Buy WA First' campaign aims to make WA produce the first choice of WA consumers, in the same way it has become the first choice of millions around the world."

The Minister congratulated Action on joining the 'Buy WA First' campaign, saying this would add significant weight to the Gallop Government's efforts to boost local content in local supermarkets.

"With Action joining Coles, Dewsons, Supa Valu and Foodland the campaign now has the potential to provide even greater assistance to WA producers," he said.

"Action has long been a strong proponent of supporting local products - including fresh and value-added produce, bakery and meat products - and will be using the 'Buy WA First' logo extensively throughout their 38 WA stores."

WA's food and beverage industry already directly employed 14,000 Western Australians, with a further 31,000 people providing support services.

"This industry accounts for almost a fifth of all local manufacturing, producing annual export revenue of more than $4.3billion," Mr Brown said.

It is hoped all WA supermarket chains will increase their take-up of locally produced food and beverage products.

"Ultimately, it is hoped the promotion will assist the growth of local industry and its capacity to participate in export markets, and increase employment opportunities generated by local industry," the Minister said.

"The 'Buy WA First' logo identifies the goods consumers should purchase if they want to assist local producers to both maintain and create new jobs here in WA."

The 'Buy WA First' pilot campaign was launched by Mr Brown in May last year and has been hailed as a success by WA producers.

Key to City for Haruhisa Handa
The Council of the City of Perth has decided to confer the honour of the Keys to the City to Japanese philanthropist Dr Haruhisa Handa.

This rare honour is bestowed upon people considered to have made a significant and meritorious contribution to the City or State or to have reached a high level of achievement in their chosen field.

Lord Mayor Dr Peter Nattrass said Dr Handa had donated many millions of dollars to art, charity and education in Western Australia over the past 15 years.

Beneficiaries of his generosity include the Perth Theatre Trust, the Art Gallery of WA and the WA Academy of Performing Arts.

Dr Handa is also Chairman of the International Foundation for Arts and Culture which funds and supports charitable activities through various events related to music and the arts.

Conferring Keys to a City has its origins in medieval times when admission into a city was subject to legal restrictions as well as by walls and locked gates. The key symbolised free entry. The honour still carries great prestige, but no legal right or privilege.

The last person to receive the honour in Perth was solo round the world yachtsman David Dicks in 1997 (checking date).

The Key to the City of Perth will be presented to Dr Handa at a ceremony later in the year.
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Western Australian economy goes from strength to strength
The Western Australian economy continues to go from strength to strength, with figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing private new capital expenditure in the December quarter was 37 per cent higher than at the same time last year, in seasonally adjusted terms.

The figures also show that Western Australia continues to lead the nation, with private new capital expenditure falling nationally over the same period.

State Development Minister Clive Brown said the increase in private capital expenditure continued the turnaround in the WA economy under the Gallop Government.

"Private capital expenditure fell each year during Colin Barnett's final three years as Resources Development Minister in the Court Government," Mr Brown said.

"The Gallop Government's investment in capital works and common user infrastructure and our success in winning projects like HIsmelt and Burrup Fertilisers have seen private capital expenditure rebound for three consecutive years.

"In fact, private capital expenditure during the six months to December 2003 ($4.8million) is almost as much as the final 12 months of the Court/Barnett Government ($5.3million).

"This is a result almost twice as good as last achieved by Mr Barnett."

The Minister said WA's strong economic performance was good news for all Western Australians.

"Business only invests in economies where they have confidence in the economic fundamentals, the local skills base and the commitment of the Government to responsible financial management and economic reform," he said.

"The continued growth in private capital expenditure is a vote of confidence in the Gallop Government's economic and financial management credentials.

"This means more jobs and opportunities for all Western Australians, as the private capital expenditure flows through all sectors of the State economy."

WA wins record US$9billion iron ore export deal with China
Western Australia has won a record 25-year US$9billion iron ore export deal with China, with BHP Billiton's Pilbara mines set to export an additional 12 million tonnes of iron ore annually for use in Chinese steel mills.

The deal was signed today in Beijing in a ceremony witnessed by State Development Minister Clive Brown.

The agreement will see the formation of the Wheelara Joint Venture, with four Chinese steel mills taking a 40 per cent interest in a sub-lease of the Jimblebar mine, near Newman. BHP Billiton will retain a 51 per cent interest, with Japanese joint venture partners CI Minerals Australia and Mitsui Iron Ore Corporation taking a 4.8 per cent and 4.2 per cent interest respectively.

Speaking from Beijing, Mr Brown said the deal was exciting news for the WA economy and represented another milestone in the State's rapidly developing trade relations with China.

"This record iron ore export deal comes on top of the recent $25billion LNG export deal between the North West Shelf and the Guangdong Province and a similar agreement between the Gorgon Joint Venture and CNOOC," he said.

"China's rapidly developing economy is providing unprecedented business opportunities for WA exporters and this is translating into jobs and opportunities throughout the State.

"I congratulate BHP Billiton on the achievement of this massive iron ore export deal and wish them well in their new joint venture.

"I also welcome their Chinese joint venture partners to WA and look forward to developing relations as strong as we enjoy with the existing Japanese partners in these operations."

The Minister said BHP Billiton's record export deal continued a staggering turnaround in WA's economy over the past three years.

"Since the election of the Gallop Government, we have seen business investment in WA almost double and this is largely due to growth in our resources sector, led by growth in our iron ore, natural gas and alumina industries," he said.

"This means significant new business and employment opportunities throughout WA, as this investment flows through to all sectors of the State's economy."

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Policy shift hits apartments
CHANGES to the national policies on investment in inner-city apartments by major banks and mortgage insurers is proving to be a hurdle for Perth’s growing apartment market
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POST inspires clean thoughts
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Stephanie Clegg and others will clean up West Leederville station on Sunday.

Clean Up Australia Day is all about taking responsibility and helping when no one else will, according to Jolimont resident Clegg.

Stephanie felt the need to clean up West Leederville station, near Subiaco Oval, after she read a letter in the POST ("This is not the best postcard of Subiaco", 14/2).

"From my experience, it is hard to get people to take responsibility, and I was ecstatic to hear that it was Clean Up Australia Day this weekend," she said.

Stephanie cycles past the station every day on the way to work and said over 400 cyclists took that route.

She said the rubbish spoilt "the gorgeous vista".

"Main Roads sweep the paths, but no one picks up the rubbish," she said.

Stephanie and members of the Hindu Trac Youth Group, who were contacted by Clean Up Australia, will be picking up rubbish in the area on Sunday from 8.30am to 2pm.
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Clean Up volunteers are on the increase
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CLEAN Up Australia Day volunteers who found a locked safe in Dianella yesterday could be forgiven for visions of collecting a plentiful booty.

It is not yet known what the contents of the safe were - but you never know what you might find while giving up your time to keep our environment healthy.

About 38,000 West Australian volunteers cleaned up about 504,000kg, or 100 skip bins, of rubbish.

They spent the equivalent of 83,500 hours removing the rubbish left by less environmentally minded people.

The numbers of people giving up part of their weekend for the annual event continues to grow.

A record 677,000 volunteers signed up to participate across the country, a 13 per cent increase from last year. They cleaned up 7000 sites.

CUAD WA co-ordinator Theresa Murphy said although environmental issues were often forgotten because of the myriad of concerns of modern living, it was encouraging to see the excitement of volunteers on the day.

"I think it gives people a real lift when they are doing something just for the sense of helping. There is nothing really in it for them except that they know they are going to make a difference," she said.

"This is one day a year where people get involved but the environment needs to be something that is on our minds every day."
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Melting-pot schools find fresh recipe for success
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HIGH school principals are refusing to accept the usual results of social disadvantage in two of Perth's toughest and most maligned suburbs.

Balga and Girrawheen senior high schools are in the melting pot of Perth's poorest communities, including new Australians, the working poor and generations of families who have never worked. But at their local high schools, teenagers are finding out how school can change their lives.

Balga principal Merv Hammond and Girrawheen counterpart Bill Mann boast more than 70 years combined experience in education, but while their schools are only 2km apart, their styles are remarkably different.

At Girrawheen, the TEE is still a big part of what the school offers. Its success was highlighted when it made its first appearance among the top 20 TEE performers in WA in last year's league tables.

The school has more than 50 cultural backgrounds among its 600 students and a big proportion are Vietnamese. Mr Mann has tapped into special information technology-based programs which help address the students' lack of access to computers at home and parents are encouraged to become a part of the school community through liaison officers.

Balga said goodbye to the TEE several years ago but has since sent more Year 12s to university through alternative entry programs, such as bridging courses, than ever before.

More than a quarter of the 500 students are Aboriginal and Mr Hammond was the first principal in Australia to welcome teenage mothers with an on-site child-care centre and parenting support.

Central to both principals' approaches is an absolute devotion to pastoral care, values education and supporting teachers. This has helped them run two of the State's most successful anti-bullying programs.

Education and Training Minister Alan Carpenter said both principals had shown strong leadership and innovation, particularly in their ability to find new resources for achieving their goals.

"Other principals shouldn't try to fresh recipe for success

do exactly the same things as Merv and Bill have done, but they have to be prepared to take a few risks and not be satisfied with mediocrity," Mr Carpenter said.

"They stand out because they are working in very difficult environments, but it just goes to show what can be done anywhere if you have the right people."

Program development manager for The Smith Family, David Ansell, who has worked with both schools, said Mr Mann and Mr Hammond had blown away the notion that schools in poorer suburbs could not achieve results.

"True believers is one of the terms I would use to describe them - their leadership has been consistent and strong at both schools," Mr Ansell said.

Mr Mann credits most of Girrawheen's success to the commitment of teachers, including some who have been at the school for 20 years.

"My emphasis in education is on pastoral care," he said. "We have to do things superbly here to make a difference and we have reconfigured the school around kids."

Year 8s and 9s are given special support in a middle school program which makes sure their performances do not slip through the cracks. Numeracy and literacy levels have increased dramatically while truancy and suspension rates have gone down.

Girrawheen is Mr Mann's first post as a principal. He said the groundwork was put in place by the previous principal, Barrie Wells, who now heads John Curtin College of the Arts in Fremantle.

Mr Hammond has also seen attendance rates increase and secured merit selection for Balga, which means he can hand-pick his teachers.

His enthusiasm for the school has not waned after 10 years in the job and he is anxiously awaiting the full results of a sport education project for Nyoongar students, which started with enrolments of talented footballers and netballers two years ago.

The project has a retention rate of 87 per cent and students have already doubled their numeracy and literacy levels.

"I think Balga high school is one of the shining lights in this community now, whereas before it was a negative," Mr Hammond said. "You can make a difference here."
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Bond builds new home and fortune
FORMER bankrupt Alan Bond is planning to settle in Perth in a new $4 million mansion in Cottesloe as his family prepares to pocket a fortune from an African diamond venture.

Demolition workers were yesterday levelling the single-storey house at 4 Hawkstone Street, Cottesloe, to make way for the two-storey mansion.

The 726sq m block, which was bought by Bond family trust Fairoak for $425,000 in late 1992, is now worth about $2.6 million.

The home - with a cellar, elevator and a big upstairs living area to capture views to Rottnest - will cost about $1.5 million to build.

When contacted in London last night, Mr Bond said he could not discuss the building plans for the Hawkstone Street property because he was in meetings.

"I'm not interested in talking about it quite frankly," he said.

The property was bought while Mr Bond was bankrupt, but it was not part of his bankruptcy estate because Mr Bond was neither a beneficiary nor director of the Fairoak family trust, even though he has lived in the house.

Australian Securities and Investments Commission records list Mr Bond's son, John, and daughter, Jody Fewster, as directors of Fairoak. Mr Bond's wife, Diana Bliss, is due back from London soon to oversee building work. She owns a nearby property in Warnham Road, worth about $1.5 million.

Mr Bond is preoccupied with a sharemarket float which could deliver the Bond family a paper fortune of tens of millions of dollars.

Mr Bond and his son, Craig, have been involved in the public float of Lesotho Diamond Corporation, which aims to raise about $50 million from British investors to list on London's Alternative Investment Market.

Lesotho Diamond Corporation is billed as having the rights to the Kao kimberlite pipe in Lesotho's Buthe Buthe district which, according to company promotional material, is said to contain diamonds conservatively valued at $4.8 billion.

Last month, Alan and Craig Bond promoted the project at a big international mining conference in Cape Town, South Africa. Craig Bond is a director of the company, while his father is listed in the prospectus as a consultant. Alan Bond has claimed that the Bond family, through an offshore trust, controls vendor shares which would equate to about 30 per cent of the company after the float.

Mr Bond, who has lived in London since being released from jail in March 2000, is involved in at least two other international sharemarket floats which are expected to list in London this year. Those companies involve a gold project in Tanzania and an oil project in Madagascar.

Mr Bond was released from prison after a High Court appeal succeeded in overturning a three-year extension to his original four-year sentence on corporate charges relating to the stripping by Bond Corporation of more than $1 billion from Bell Resources.

He still has about a year to serve on his five-year ban from acting as a company director or managing companies in Australia.
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Crime rate falling in Western Australia
WESTERN Australia's crime rate has dropped by almost eight per cent or more than 10,000 offences, the state government said today.

State police crime statistics for July to December 2003 showed motor vehicle thefts was down by more than 13 per cent compared with the previous year and theft had dropped by more than seven per cent.

Police Minister Michelle Roberts said the crime figures, coming on the back of last week's critical Royal Commission report into corruption in the WA police force, were significant.

"It is clear that even in the face of challenging organisational issues as highlighted by the Police Royal Commission, police officers are delivering on the ground," Ms Roberts said.

National crime figures last year showed Perth as being the most burgled city in Australia, but Ms Roberts said this unwanted tag was now being addressed.

Today's figures showed a 13 per cent drop in the number of burglaries.

"As a result of inaction by the opposition when they were in government, we were labelled the `burglary capital of Australia'," Ms Roberts said.

"In stark contrast, our government is tackling burglary head-on and the results are very pleasing."
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Parliamentarians get on their bikes.
The Parliamentarian Bike Ride will start Cycle Instead Bikeweek 2004.

Members of State Parliament, mayors from metropolitan local government authorities and Government agency executives will take part in this year's ride to the Perth Zoo - a distance of 6.5km - early on Wednesday March 10.

Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the event had provided an opportunity for parliamentarians and local government leaders to show their support for cycling in Western Australia.

"This event provides an excellent opportunity for elected members to gain first-hand experience of Perth's growing network of bicycle facilities," Ms MacTiernan said.

"The State Government has invested $48million across WA on shared-use paths and other types of cycling infrastructure over the past three years.

"It is part of the overall objective to increase the percentage of cycle rides in the metropolitan area, by delivering reliable cycling infrastructure and promoting cycling as a sustainable transport mode, as well as an enjoyable recreation activity.

"For this reason it's important that decision-makers in Government are made aware of the cycling needs and requirements of the community.

"Getting out on to the shared paths helps us to better promote and encourage more of the community to choose a bike instead of a car for short trips.

"Perth is known nationally for its extensive network of high quality cycling facilities. The Government is committed to further develop this excellent infrastructure.

"We have delivered more than 300km of off-road cycle paths and 200 km of on-road cycle lanes in Perth and rural areas."

The ride will start in the grounds of Parliament House at 7.30am on Wednesday March 10 and will conclude at the Perth Zoo, in South Perth.

For further information on the Cycle Instead - Bikeweek 2004 visit the Department for Planning and Infrastructure's cycling web pages at http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/cycling or telephone (08) 9216 8000.

WA's jobless rate drops again
The unemployment rate in Western Australia has fallen to 5.6 per cent.

Consumer and Employment Protection Minister John Kobelke said the Labour Force Survey for February from the Australian Bureau of Statistics continued to show strength in WA's labour market.

"WA has the second lowest unemployment rate of all the States; only NSW is lower," Mr Kobelke said.

"The latest jobless rate in WA is down from 5.7 per cent in January and below the national average, which rose to 5.9 per cent.

"WA has retained the highest participation rate of all States, at 65.4 per cent."

The latest improvement for the WA economy follows another measure of confidence released this week.

The Minister said job vacancies in WA had risen by 6.6 per cent over the month, in the ANZ Bank's report on job vacancies advertised in WA newspapers.

"The advertisements, which have risen by 24.5 per cent in the year to February 2004, are at their highest level in almost 15 years," he said.

"History also shows the average monthly unemployment rate has been almost 1 per cent lower, under the Gallop Government."

The average monthly unemployment rate for this Government has been 6.3 per cent, compared with 7.2 per cent under the last Liberal Government.

Youth worker in fast lane of mean streets
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FOR Rod Mapstone, helping children in poverty is a full-time job.

Every day, the manager of St Vincent de Paul's Passages Resource Centre assists young people aged 12 to 25 who are suffering a range of poverty-related issues.

The former Olympic sprinter's real-life experience of children visiting the Perth drop-in centre, related to the Senate inquiry in July, makes stark reading in the committee report.

In one case, two brothers, suffering because of poor nutrition, had left school at 13. Without decent clothes and books, they had felt ostracised and isolated from their peers.

The eldest lived on Perth streets, sleeping in carparks and abandoned buildings. At times he was forced to steal and got involved in sex work, losing trust in relationships.

He also racked up unpaid train fare fines of $15,000.

When the boys were granted Centrelink payments, their parents sometimes took the money.

Mr Mapstone said even after years of working with the teenagers, he had still not been able to find them a long-term home.

"This example is not something that is unusual within the centre," he said.

"It is something that goes on all the time. It is just a single example of what we have to deal with every day."

Some studies in the report estimate there are 750,000 Australian children living in poverty.

Catholic Welfare Australia chairman Joe Caddy said the inquiry had exposed the shame of so many children living in poverty and in homeless families.
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Slow, relaxing tea takes on fast coffee
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A popularity contest between a genteel tea house and American drive-in fast coffee is brewing in Cottesloe and Mosman Park.

Five weeks ago Phil May, a founder of Dome coffee, jumped on to the worldwide trend to drink more tea and opened Leaf tea merchants in Napoleon Street, Cottesloe.

Two weeks later, just 1km south, Craig Muzeroll started Muzz Buzz, an all-American drive-in coffee hut next to Mosman Park railway station where he serves strong heart-starters in a go-cup.

Each claims to represent Australia's future drinking habits.

"Tea is a calming experience and I think people are looking for an oasis," said Mr May, a former Commonwealth triple-jump gold medal winner.

"I have worked in the cafe industry for a number of years and I can tell you they are busy places that are constantly buzzing."

He describes tea drinking as a culture where people want to take their time and savour the brew, away from the daily stresses of their lives.

The world-wide shift to tea houses is shown by the 4.45 million tea-house references on the internet.

"I don't think Australia is a beverage take-away culture," Mr May said.

"It's an American culture to eat and run &endash; America is where all the fast food chains started."

He serves every kind of tea, including black, fruit, berry and green teas.

But the buzz of a wake-up "cawfee-to-go" is already causing peak-hour traffic snarls in Stirling Highway.

Mr Muzeroll, from Spokane in Washington State, disagrees with Mr May and says since he opened three weeks ago in Mosman Park "there is always a car coming through".

His coffee is made with a sweet-tasting syrup imported from the US.

Mr Muzeroll says that when it was invented in 1981, it converted millions of American women to coffee and "changed the world".

He came up with the name Muzz Buzz because he thought the rhyme would match Australian slang.

Traffic congestion around the drive-through, near the Glyde Street lights, is causing problems as commuters queue for an early morning caffeine hit.

A spokesman from Main Roads WA said the department had received a complaint and would monitor the situation.

Mr Muzeroll took two-and-a-half years to get the approval of the Department of Planning and Infrastructure, Department of Environment, WA Government Railways, Main Roads and the Town of Mosman Park to build in Mosman Park.

Mr Muzeroll plans to open 30 Muzz Buzz huts in WA in five years, and is exploring the possibility of spreading interstate.

"We're not the place to go if you want tea." he said.
http://www.postnewspapers.com.au/20040313/news/006.shtml

Premier asks public for support on trading hours
PREMIER Geoff Gallop has pleaded with the public to save his vision for "family-friendly" weeknight trading hours.

Dr Gallop's bold plans for economic reform received their third blow in a month this week when Greens economic spokeswoman Dee Margetts said the party would block extended trading hours legislation in the Upper House.

But yesterday the Premier vowed to fight on with his plans, calling on the public, who he claims want the introduction of weeknight trading, to join the battle.

"I've very disappointed the Liberals (who are also opposed to the legislation) and Greens remain determined to keep WA in the Dark Ages," Dr Gallop said. "We deserve better than that and I urge the WA public to contact their Liberal and Greens MPs to voice their strong disapproval."

Opposition Leader Colin Barnett said it was now likely, given Dr Gallop's recent backdown on plans to split Western Power and to introduce Sunday trading for liquor stores, that the extended trading legislation would be dumped.

He said WA people were not passionate about extended trading hours and his office had received "barely a handful" of calls and letters on the issue.

"My observation of the Gallop Government is that on contentious issues the approach is to bowl one point of view into Parliament that divides the community," Mr Barnett said.

"Good government is about bringing in policies in manageable bites with broad public support."

But Retail Traders Association of WA director Brian Reynolds welcomed the Premier's commitment and supported his view that consumers should voice their aspirations.

"But consumers should also be telling them that it (the proposed legislation) falls short of the mark because it does not provide for Sunday trading which, in every other jurisdiction in Australia, is now the second-most important trading day," he said.

Research commissioned by the association showed that a clear majority of retailers supported weeknight and Sunday trading.

Mr Reynolds said the Liberal and Greens were out of touch with the public and had relied on largely discredited research to justify their patronage of a small band of supermarket owners.

But the WA Independent Grocers Association backed the Opposition parties, saying weeknight trading would jeopardise WA's competitive grocery market and increase the power of the supermarket chains.

Association president John Cummings said Coles and Woolworths controlled 80 per cent of Australia's retail grocery sales whereas in WA their share was 61 per cent.

Mr Cummings said it was indicative of current demand for weeknight trading that Perth retailers chose to close their doors at 5.30pm despite being able to trade until 6pm.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040313/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto121450.html

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Freo brew for Brits
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FREMANTLE brewer Little Creatures is set to take on the world's most discerning beer drinkers.

The boutique brewery will launch its Pale Ale in Britain in May.

It will be the first time the boutique brewery has exported one of its products.

"We reckon there is a market of beer connoisseurs there who will really go for it," said Little Creatures brewer Simon Bretherton, who hails from Preston, Lancashire, and cut his brewing teeth in Manchester with Boddingtons.

He is excited at the prospect of friends and family back home being able to buy and taste his beer. "I think they will be very impressed with the beer," he said.

"The kind of hops we use have a very particular aroma and I know the beer drinkers there are going to love it."

Little Creatures director Howard Cearns said the brew would be launched officially at a major London wine fair in conjunction with the Alliance Wine Co.

"We are quietly confident that our beer will gain a small but strong following to build a long-term position in this market," Mr Cearns said.

"Tasting panels have been consistent in rating Little Creatures Pale Ale as one of the best beers they have seen and certainly the highlight from Australia."

Little Creatures plans a June launch of its Pils brew in bottled form in Australia.
http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,8956274%255E2761,00.html

Shame makes way for a celebration
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OBSERVING WA's cultural melting pot each day gave Brooke-Louise McAullay the strength to accept her own cultural background and come out as Aboriginal.

Until she reached university, Ms McAullay, 19, shied away from acknowledging her heritage, which stems from her father.

She was brought up by her mother, of Scottish background, and said people often mistook her olive skin for Italian or Spanish.

"I lived with my mum and she is not indigenous and I didn't spend much time with my dad," she said.

Ms McAullay said her shame had started in school where she encountered racist views.

But her experiences of meeting people from different cultures helped change the way she viewed herself. And when she entered university she met Aboriginal people who shared their experiences and culture and she became interested in finding out more.

Ms McAullay had taken a unit in Aboriginal studies as part of a law degree but eventually decided to specialise in Aboriginal studies.

"It makes me feel good, you know who you are and where you come from," she said.

"It has had a benefit to me, you step out of black and white and are in colour."

Ms McAullay's story won the young adult category of the Harmony Week Share Your Story competition coordinated by The West Australian and the Office of Multicultural Interests.

Harmony Week, which starts today, is a celebration of the rich cultural diversity of WA and the benefits it brings to the State.

The theme is WA: Valuing Our Diversity. A list of the week's events can be found on the Office of Multicultural Interests website at www.omi.wa.gov.au.

Big retailer joins plastic bag fight
WA'S Action supermarket chain has joined other retailers across Australia in adopting a national voluntary code for reducing plastic bags.

In a move aimed at cutting plastic bag use in supermarkets by 25 per cent by the end of this year and another 25 per cent by December 2005, the Australian Retailers Association has been urging supermarkets to recycle bags and offer non-plastic options.

Action supermarkets corporate affairs general manager Chris Bennett said the chain had taken steps to cut plastic bag use before the association, of which it was not a member, approached proposing it adopted the code.

There were increasing community concerns about plastic bags being distributed.

The supermarket chain was responding to those concerns in a range of ways, including teaching staff ways of packing groceries to cut down on bag use.

Mr Bennett said WA's 44 Action supermarkets and another 31 stores in Queensland and northern New South Wales were offering either 99¢ calico bags or smaller plastic bags as an alternative to the regular-sized shopping bags.

They were also setting up recycling points so plastic bags could be reused.

But Mr Bennett said he doubted whether plastic bags would ever disappear because of the need to transport perishable foods, such as meat. "The problem is, plastic bags are the most hygienic form of transport," he said.

Mr Bennett said Action was working with schools and local authorities on a community-level education campaign on plastic bag reduction.

Federal and State environment ministers are trying to halve the almost 7 billion bags used in Australia each year by the end of 2005.

Federal Environment Minister David Kemp announced recently that national retailers Coles and Woolworths had cut plastic bag use by more than 200 million bags this year, aiming for a target reduction of 1.75 billion.

The Government hopes to eliminate plastic shopping bags within four years.

The Australian Greens have criticised the voluntary code as inadequate. They say the gains so far are only a fraction of what is needed.

They favour a 25¢ levy as a more effective way to halt the use of the environmentally damaging bags.

The Federal Opposition has indicated it favours banning plastic bags if retailers do not manage to meet the voluntary phase-out targets.

But it is understood not to favour imposing a levy and is expected to announce a policy later this year involving the abolition of bags if targets are not met, with penalties for those failing to respond.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040315/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto121499.html

Festival rages without Blink
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The Rock-It music festival rocked on yesterday at Arena Joondalup without Californian headliners Blink 182, after the punk trio's drummer Travis Barker fractured his foot hopping off a bus in Melbourne.

Barker played with a cast on his injured foot in Adelaide on Saturday night but the band decided to can their Perth appearance, plus shows in Sydney, Brisbane and Japan.

Rock-It promoter Paul Sloan heard the news at 4am yesterday, giving him only seven hours to rejig the gig. He said he would have preferred Blink 182 to play with a substitute drummer, but the band decided against any makeshift arrangements.

Patrons were offered the option of a $15 rebate or the full refund of $58, while the door price was adjusted from $70 to $50.

The rebate reflected the fact that the promoters would not have to pay Blink 182, Mr Sloan said.

Very few people took up the offer of a full refund. Most of the 23,000 punters discovered that Blink 182 had already left the country when they arrived at Arena Joondalup.

Good vibes were restored early in the day with The Flairz - a trio of pre-teen future rock stars with a love of classic hard rock - impressing the burgeoning crowd.

Their new fans cheered the pint-sized Perth punkers - consisting of drummer Scarlett Stevens, 11, and guitarists John and Dion Mariani, both 10 - during their 20-minute set, capped off with a cover of AC/DC's TNT.

Melbourne punk act Bodyjar roused the Rock-It faithful when they played the opening bars to Blink 182's What's My Age Again?

Once the beer began flowing, the home grown rock'n'roll and plenty of young flesh was exposed to the afternoon sun, the missing headliners were mostly forgotten.

Beer, babes and bogans set the tone, with plenty of moshing and crowd surfing going on, despite such activities being forbidden by the organisers.

A young crowd mostly aged between 14 and 17 dominated the action in front of the big stage, while the young adults kept bar staff busy and slightly more mature types - oldies in their late 20s and beyond - viewed proceedings from the Arena's grassy slopes.

Rock-It became an almost all-Australian affair - youth radio station Triple J favourites Grinspoon took star billing as Resin Dogs, The Butterfly Effect and Americans Brand New played extended sets.

By late afternoon, 65 people had been treated by St John Ambulance volunteers, mainly for heat and alcohol-related conditions or injuries caused by being crushed in the crowd. Two were taken to hospital.

Yesterday's event was the fifth instalment of Rock-It.
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WA's two medical Fionas honoured
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PERTH'S Fionas - Fiona Stanley and Fiona Wood - have been elevated into Australian folklore as Living National Treasures.

The compassionate medical work of Professor Stanley and Professor Wood was rewarded yesterday when they were named by the National Trust of NSW among 15 people to be inducted into the list of 100 living treasures at a ceremony at the Sydney Town Hall on April 6.

Treasures committee chairman Michael Ball said The West Australian's search, which was dominated by the two Fionas, had a major impact on the official national vote.

He said WA was proportionately the most active voting State in Australia. Thousands of people in each State were part of the voting process.

Professor Wood was swept into public prominence after her work with patients injured in the Bali bombings of 2002 and the five people hurt in an aircraft crash at Jandakot last year.

Professor Stanley is Perth's leading child health expert and was also named 2003 Australian of the Year.

The official treasures list already includes famous WA names such as Betty Cuthbert, Ernie Dingo, Herb Elliott, Shane Gould, Rolf Harris, Janet Holmes à Court, Elizabeth Jolley and Tim Winton.

Newcomers include actor Russell Crowe and actress Nicole Kidman, singers Ted Egan and Jimmy Little and sport stars John Landy, Steve Waugh and Pat Rafter.

Mr Ball described Professor Stanley and Professor Wood as outstanding Australians who deserved the recognition.

"My enduring thought when I see the list is, what a good bunch of people Australians are," Mr Ball said. "We are not just preoccupied with sport, movie stars or politicians, but have a deep interest in the vast range of human endeavour, from the saints to the successful sinners.

"And this vote was higher than any opinion poll ever conducted by any research company in Australia."

Professor Stanley said she had been flattered by the support received from The West Australian and the WA public.

"This is a great recognition for the (child health) institute, its work and how important children are to the future of Australian society," she said.

Professor Stanley said she was also excited to be working as chief executive for a new national initiative aimed at improving futures for children.

The treasures list was first announced in December 1997, but has not been updated since.

The new names replace 15 original members who have died, including Sir Don Bradman, Slim Dusty, Ruth Cracknell, Charles Perkins and R. M. Williams.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040315/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto121505-pic23422.html

Premier launches Harmony Week
Western Australia's diverse community was brought closer together today when students from secondary schools around the metropolitan area helped the Premier to complete a giant jigsaw depicting the many different faces that make up WA.

The symbolic exercise marked the start of Harmony Week 2004, which runs from March 15 - 21.

Premier Geoff Gallop, who is also Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Interests, said Harmony Week provided Western Australians with the opportunity to recognise and show their appreciation of the contribution the indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities had made to the economic, social and cultural life of WA.

"This great and vibrant State of WA is one of the most diverse societies in the world," Dr Gallop said.

"One in two Western Australians was born overseas or has a parent born overseas.

"Harmony Week is an opportunity for us to recognise and respect our differences, while focusing on what unites us as Western Australians - a sense of community, of a 'fair go' and, above all, of mutual respect.

"Mutual respect means equal opportunity for all, regardless of difference, and not discriminating on the basis of culture, religion, language or where we were born."

The Premier said Harmony Week, a State Government initiative, was also an important opportunity to take a stand against discrimination and racism in all its forms.

"As recent events have highlighted, we must continue to be vigilant and ensure that racism and religious persecution do not threaten the peace and harmony of our diverse community," he said.

Harmony Week closes on March 21, which is the United Nations' International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The Premier said no events of a celebratory nature should be held on that day.

Mr Bob Hawke would deliver the Vice-Chancellors' Oration to mark the International Day at 6.30pm on March 21 in the Octagon Theatre. His oration at the free public event would be: 'The 'What' Australia Policy: National Identity and Multiculturalism in the 21st Century'. The 2004 Multicultural Awards would also be presented by the Premier.

Full details about this and other Harmony Week events were available on the Office of Multicultural Interests' website at http://www.omi.wa.gov.au

Sustainable energy institute for WA
A NEW Western Australian research institute focused on renewable energy will explore better ways to turn the wind, sun and waste material into power.

Energy Minister Eric Ripper today opened the Research Institute for Sustainable Energy (RISE), based at Murdoch University, which could propel the state to the forefront of renewable energy work.

The institute is part funded by a $5.5 million Commonwealth grant, but WA's main power utility Western Power was among the main industry contributors.

Federal Environment Minister David Kemp said RISE would undertake a range of sustainable energy activities, including remote renewable energy education, training and strategy development.

"This kind of industry development activity will foster and promote the effective use and deployment of renewable energy, especially in the challenging area of remote area power supplies," Dr Kemp said.

The research institute is a joint venture between Murdoch University, Curtin University and industry partners.

Mr Ripper said RISE would replace some of the functions of the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Renewable Energy, which closed last year.
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8993118%255E2761,00.html

:naughty: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO YOUR BIT AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR SCARBOUROUGH HIGH-RISE. PLEASE SEND EMAILS/LETTERS OF SUPPORT TO THESE CONTACTS WHO WILL HAVE THE FINAL SAY IN WHAT HAPPENS TELL YOUR FREINDS AND FAMILY TO DO THE SAME IN SUPPORT!!!! LETS BEAT THOSE NIMBYS!!!!!!!

CITY OF STIRLING
Civic Place (Cnr Civic Place/ Cedric St)
Stirling
WA 6021
Australia

PREMIER GEOFF GALOP
Hon Dr Geoff Gallop
Premier
24th Floor,
197 St Georges Terrace,
Perth WA 6000.

OPOSITION LEADER
barnettc@loop.wa.gov.au

PLANNING AND INFRASTRUCTURE MINISTER
alannah-mactiernan@dpc.wa.gov.au

WA PLANNING COMMISSION
Western Australian Planning Commission
Albert Facey House
469 Wellington Street
PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA 6000

DEPARTMENTS OF PLANNING AND INFRASTRUCTURE
department of planning and infrastructure
441 Murray Street
Perth
Western Australia 6000

CITY OF STIRLING CEO
Chief Executive Officer
City Of Stirling
Civic Place
STIRLING WA 6021

CITY OF STIRLING COUNCILORS
tony.vallelonga@stirling.wa.gov.au;
sam.popovski@stirling.wa.gov.au;
june.copley@stirling.wa.gov.au;
david.boothman@stirling.wa.gov.au;
bill.stewart@stirling.wa.gov.au;
troy.pickard@stirling.wa.gov.au;
joe.camilleri@stirling.wa.gov.au;
brian.ham@stirling.wa.gov.au;
truevine@upnaway.com.au;
terry.tyzack@stirling.wa.gov.au;
bob.daniel@stirling.wa.gov.au;
trevor.clarey@stirling.wa.gov.au;
rod.willox@stirling.wa.gov.au;
adam.spagnolo@stirling.wa.gov.au

NIMBY AGAINTS HIGH-RISE SITE GO TO FORUM AND TELL THEM WHAT YOU THINK OF THOSE ARSEWANKS
www.sosscarborough.com

:guns1: :guns1: :guns1: :guns1:

Home prices still rising
THE median price of houses in Perth continued to climb last month despite forecasts that the market would slow.

It rose to $243,300, a rise of 3.8 per cent on January and 19.7 per cent over the year, according to Real Estate Institute of WA figures released this week.

However, properties took longer to sell and more were for sale, an analysis of the figures showed.

Demand from people buying more expensive homes fuelled the rise in property prices.

First homebuyers continued to drop out because of the high costs.

Institute president Jim Henneberry said the market had strengthened after relatively quiet months in December and January.

"The real estate market in WA has adjusted after the sales frenzy last year," he said. "There are fewer sales than last year and the market has levelled out at what is considered more normal levels of activity."

In regional WA, the median house price stayed at $157,700 but it was still a rise of 5.4 per cent over February last year.

There were 4314 established homes sold in WA last month, 10.2 per cent more than in January.

After a chronic shortage of homes for sale last year, the supply had evened out with a 10.7 per cent rise from February last year to 9491.

The average selling time for residences in Perth last month was 49 days, three more than in January.

Brick shortages looked set to continue for another 18 months, Austral Bricks managing director Lindsay Partridge said.

Austral had brought nearly a million by ship from interstate since November. Nearly 1000 tonnes arrived this week and the company would have to continue importing for 18 months to fill the backlog of work and keep up with demand.

Another problem was the lack of trucks in Perth.

"We had to subcontract a crane trailer and three semi-trailers from Melbourne," he said. "We brought them over and will leave them here for two months so we can get more people into their homes by Easter."

Mr Partridge said the latest brick shipment would do up to 50 new homes but would add roughly $1000 for each new home.

Master Builders Association director Gavan Forster said the brick shortage had eased from late last year but it still was taking builders about 18 months for a new home that in a normal market took a year. "It is the delay in titles, shortages of bricks and labour, a lack of land and the extra bricks needed for two-storey homes that has been holding up completion times," he said.

Midland Brick general manager Peter Hogan said the market was robust but in an abnormal cycle, peaking simultaneously in commercial, new residential and retail building. Normally, they ran counter-cyclical. It was impossible to predict when the brick supply would level out until they returned to a more normal cycle.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040318/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto121689.html

Broken Hill to dress up
THE Broken Hill Hotel in Victoria Park, the only pub within a Harley's roar of the city where drinkers can still relax in flannelette shirts and old jeans, could change its dress code under moves to take the historic venue upmarket.

Generations of loyal drinkers could find themselves replaced by a pub-hopping, metrosexual crowd that likes beer in bottles, coiffed hair, tight T-shirts and new jeans that look old.

The pub's lease expires early next year and the building's owner, Subiaco lawyer Nick Murfett, has started searching for a new tenant with a vision for his 104-year-old hotel.

That vision will almost certainly exclude the Broken Hill's signature strip shows. Long-time regulars will remember Baby Doll, the controversial underage Perth stripper who is said to have got her start at the Broken Hill in the 1980s.

In the bad old days before decency regulations had their way with Perth, drivers could occasionally catch a glimpse of naked flesh in the pub windows as they headed into the city.

Those chance encounters, which sparked repulsion in some and a hankering thirst in others, are long gone, with laws now requiring windows be covered with boards when the girls are on.

The Broken Hill may not be the roughest drinking hole in town but even the pub's most ardent supporters will admit there have been days when more blood was spilled than beer.

The occasional blue in the beer garden added to its mystique as a rough-and-ready joint - hence the nicknames of the Broken Nose and Broken Leg.

Occasionally things got more serious.

In 1998, Coffin Cheater Eddie Withnell was at the pub minding his own business when six bikies from the rival Club Deroes gang set upon him with telescopic batons and a razor.

Mr Withnell's ear was almost hacked off in the raid, which was one of the early sorties in Perth's bikie war and another chapter in the pub's history.

The attack saw increased police presence around the pub, with officers often spotted sitting near the hotel, watching the comings and goings of people best described as "known to police".

In fact, the Broken Hill became such a focus of police attention that plainclothes officers would regularly dine at nearby restaurants so they could carry out their surveillance in comfort.

Agent Lance White yesterday said the vision for the pub was likely to include renovating the bar, revamping the beer garden and lifting the profile of the bottle shop.

The pub was in a great location and had real potential to be made into a more sophisticated and modern venue.

If Mr White finds the right tenant, the days of birds, bikies and brawls in the heart of Victoria Park - home to Premier Geoff Gallop, bustling restaurants and booming house prices - are numbered.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040318/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto121685.html

Premier promotes sustainable living in WA
Premier Geoff Gallop today declared that sustainable living made environmental and financial sense.

At the opening of the City of Subiaco's Sustainable Demonstration Home, Dr Gallop said there was now a wide range of incentives to make Western Australian homes more energy and water-efficient.

"While many people may feel that their individual decisions about water, energy and waste are insignificant, a joint community effort can result in real environmental benefits for the future," he said.

"This Government is working to create liveable towns and cities, with strong communities and a healthy environment.

"Importantly, with the range of State Government rebates now available to home owners, it makes financial - as well as environmental - sense to make your house water and energy-efficient."

Rebates available to home owners and consumers now cover water-efficient washing machines, solar hot water systems, garden bores, rainwater tanks, grey water systems, shower heads, tap timers, water flow regulators and soil wetting agents.

An analysis shows that a first homebuyer who takes advantage of selected Government rebates saves on average more than $3,000 on energy and water bills over a 10-year period.

A first homebuyer who buys a water-efficient washing machine, shower heads, rainwater tank and a solar hot water system will receive $770 in rebates and save $420 a year on water and electricity bills.

The Premier also announced that from this month, a new GreenSmart Home Loan would be available through the Department of Housing and Works' Keystart Home Loans. Under the scheme, people on low-to-moderate incomes would be able to access a $1,000 increase in their Keystart loan to construct a house meeting specific sustainability criteria.

To improve access to information about the range of Government rebates, a special website on sustainable living has been created at http://www.sustainableliving.wa.gov.au

Dr Gallop said today's event, combined with other announcements being made today, reinforced the State Government's commitment to protecting the environment.

The State Government will be handing over $1.2million worth of land for an urban nature program and the Environment Minister will be announcing an $800,000 compost project to improve the soil quality on 50 coastal farms.

Knives out in battle to be top TV noshery
http://www.thewest.com.au/pictures/250-gen19rest3.jpg
PREPARE your knives and forks - it's WA against the nation in the battle of the reality television restaurants.

My Restaurant Rules Perth contestants Amanda Thomas and Ash Huish are ready to prove their new eatery, Room 19, really does rule.

In eight weeks, the Atwell couple have transformed a run-down old Thai diner in Lake Street, Northbridge, into a groovy 100-seat noshery, devised a mouth-watering menu and hired 35 staff to help them run the establishment.

The past week has been a mad panic for Thomas, a wine sales representative, and Huish, a wharf worker and student, as they race to open their restaurant by a Monday deadline set down by the Channel 7 reality-renovation-cooking show.

They are up against four couples in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Sydney each assigned a run-down restaurant which they must convert into a profitable business. The couple with the best restaurant as judged by the public wins the business they started.

Tonight, Perth's social set gets a sneak preview and taste-test of what's on offer at Room 19 at a VIP launch party.

Described as "fine dining for the average Joe" but edging towards the pricey end of restaurant fare, the menu created by head chef Iain Lawless has a seafood focus.

Last night, Perth viewers proved they were the most parochial in the nation when a $40,000 bonus went to the WA contestants. The bonus is allocated by a viewer telephone vote.

From Monday, wannabe food critics can critique the restaurant's food, service and ambience - on camera of course.

The My Restaurant Rules venues are not allowed to take bookings so it's first-come, first-served only. Room 19 is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040319/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto121747-pic23480.html

their restaurant looks shit:colgate: .. could of got better chairs at least...the skyline in that pic looks a bit odd?
:eat: :eat:

Firebombed restaurant reopens
The owner of a Perth suburban Chinese restaurant which was firebombed last month has thanked the community for helping her get her business up and running again.

The Lakelands Chinese Restaurant in Perth's southern suburbs was one of three Asian restaurants extensively damaged in attacks on the same night.

The restaurant will reopen today.

Lyn Luong is hopeful she and her family will be able to build up the business again.

"We hope it's better... but we just have to bring the customer back because we not open for that many weeks," she said.

"We hope everything back to normal."
http://www.abc.net.au/wa/news/200403/s1070454.htm

Four get gifts of life
A FATHER of a young family has been given the gift of life by a WA teenager he never knew.

Days ago, the man, who cannot be identified, was on a respirator and close to death, waiting for a lung transplant.

In Karratha, a family grieving the loss of their youngest son made a decision that would change the 40-year-old's life forever.

This week, the family of 18-year-old Shaun Jones, who died after a swimming accident last week, are finding solace in the knowledge his death was not in vain.

At least four people have been given a second chance at life as a result of his status as an organ donor and his family's decision to abide by his wishes.

Shaun, a talented sportsman who regularly freedived off the islands off the coast of Karratha, was swimming laps at the local aquatic centre last Tuesday when he got into trouble.

About 48 hours later he was pronounced dead at RPH.

Shaun's mother, Kelly Jones, said the knowledge that her son "lived life to the hilt" and that his death had helped others to live was a genuine comfort.

"He was such a happy boy who did everything he ever wanted to do," she said.

"I believe the man who got Shaun's lungs has a young family and is now off a respirator – that family should not have to lose their dad.

"Knowing what happens to Shaun's organs is important to us – just to picture where they are going.

"The man's family wanted to send us a card and we said that would be fine."

Mrs Jones, Shaun's older brother Ashley, 19, and other members of the family made the courageous decision to donate Shaun's organs during the darkest hour of their lives.

The decision was made easier because Shaun had shared his thoughts on organ donation and last year received a card acknowledging his donor status.

Generous by nature and with a well-known indifference to materialism, Shaun was full of the joy of living, his mother said.

He also relished his work as an apprentice electrical fitter.


"His boss used to tell him: `You are only in your first year, you don't have to do everything perfectly'," Mrs Jones said.

A former Rotary exchange student who learnt to swim before he could walk and enjoyed spearfishing at night, Shaun competed in triathlons and played touch rugby for WA for three years.

The WA Coroner is yet to determine the exact cause of death but Shaun's mother believes he was trying to swim laps underwater at the time.

"He was a young man who excelled at everything he tried and pushed himself to the limit physically," she said.

On the night he died, a game of underwater hockey had been cancelled.

It is understood he and a friend swam 50m underwater and Shaun was attempting a second lap without fins and a mask when fellow swimmers noticed he wasn't moving and pulled him out of the water.

"We believe he held his breath too long," she said.

"He was the sort of boy who, if there were kids jumping from a tree into the river, would climb a bigger tree and do a backflip out of it – that was him."

Mrs Jones said it was important for families to make their thoughts on organ donation well known to loved ones.

"Knowing Shaun's organs have helped other people makes it feel like his death was not such a waste," she said.

As if the loss of their son was not enough, the Jones family returned from Shaun's cremation in Perth this week to find they had been robbed.

They believe thieves broke into their home while they were in Perth and stole about $16,000 in cash and jewellery.

They are hoping those responsible have enough of a conscience to return a gold "Libra" pendant that belonged to Shaun and a fob-watch once owned by his stepfather's great-great-grandfather.
http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,9023960%255E2761,00.html

Show cars low, sick, wicked
http://www.thewest.com.au/pictures/250-gen22car27.jpg
THEY were too damn low, with sick bodies and wicked interiors - all good things, according Auto Salon organiser Charles Kha.

More than 120 modified vehicles at Burswood at the weekend had glittering wheels, high-tech gadgets, TVs, turbochargers, nitrous oxide tanks and more speakers than many, many concert halls.

A ute owner had spent $60,000 but it was not road-registered.

A Lancer had white metal sparkling finish and neon blue lights. A Toyota with purple-to-gold paint had gold interior trim.

But it was hard to go past Lehno Parasuraman's 1996 Honda Civic. His $80,000 worth of modifications included four TV screens - two in sunvisors - gaming console and custom stereo. And lots of speakers.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040322/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto121863-pic23509.html

Restaurant tries out lion dance for change in luck
http://www.thewest.com.au/pictures/250-gen22food10.jpg
SEVEN weeks after the Luong family's Chinese restaurant was almost destroyed in a racially motivated firebombing, a traditional Chinese lion dance was used to drive away bad spirits and bring good luck at its reopening.

More than 100 people were at the opening of the Lakelands Chinese Restaurant in Yangebup, which sustained $100,000 damage in the February 1 firebombing. It was the worst hit of the three Chinese restaurants set alight in a matter of hours in the series of racist attacks.

In the Yangebup attack, the window was smashed and accelerant poured inside before the restaurant was set alight, destroying the furniture, gutting the interior except the kitchen and collapsing parts of the ceiling. A swastika was painted on the wall outside.

Yesterday, supporters of the Luongs packed into the refurbished restaurant in a show of solidarity.

Lyn Luong, who runs the restaurant with her husband and family, said there had never been any doubt they would rebuild but it had been a difficult time.

"We were thinking 'what are we going to do'," she said. "It's very worrying. We didn't know whether the business was going to stay the same, but now I have seen everyone be so supportive I feel much happier."

Chung Wah Association president Richard Tan said a positive to come out of the attack was that it had united the community.

"It was not just an attack on the individual or an attack on this restaurant and the other two, it was an attack on the way of life we have come to treasure - the Australian way of life, of tolerance and acceptance," he said.

Premier Geoff Gallop cut the ribbon to reopen the shop and stayed to sample some of the food.

Four men have been charged with the attacks, with a 17-year-old sentenced to 20 months detention.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040322/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto121866-pic23512.html

Street prostitute fined $500
THE first penalty has been issued in the latest police crackdown on street prostitutes in the Perth inner city.

Vanessa Anne Holloway was fined $500 for breaching a restraining order when she appeared in East Perth Magistrate's Court on Saturday. The maximum penalty for the offence is $5000.

The new campaign comes after an increase in street prostitutes soliciting in Highgate and Northbridge in the past 18 months.

Officers from the street prostitution team arrested Holloway near Hyde Park in William Street, Highgate, on Friday afternoon.

The court was told that a restraining order had been granted against the 22-year-old on March 8. The order prohibited Holloway from entering an area bounded by Newcastle, Lord, Fitzgerald and Walcott streets for 12 months.

During the original application the court was told that Holloway had been issued with five "move-on" notices in two months.

Police told the court at the time that she had been observed walking along inner city streets and waving at motorists.

Holloway had admitted to police she had been touting for sex work because she needed money.

It is understood that on Friday, Holloway was a passenger in a car driven by a well-known kerb crawler who told police that he was giving her a lift home.

Last month, a 29-year-old kerb crawler was fined $500 for breaching a "move-on" notice.

The construction worker was caught driving his car in Bulwer Street, Highgate. He was issued with a "move-on" notice after he admitted cruising the streets looking for prostitutes.

Yesterday, the head of the street prostitution team, Sgt Steve Beswick, said applications for more restraining orders had been lodged with the courts.

"The people who are the subject of the restraining order applications are the same people who have already had numerous move-on notices," he said.

"Once there's a hearing and if the restraining orders are granted we will move quickly to serve them on the people concerned."

Sgt Beswick said the latest moves had been welcomed by local residents.

"From what I gather they are quite happy," he said.

"I think we will continue to get positive feedback as the campaign continues."

The West Australian reported last year that 95 per cent of kerb crawlers were married. Many had children and their families had no idea of their activities.

They sought street prostitutes because it was cheap, anonymous and quick.

Some would pay more to have sex without a condom, despite most of the street prostitutes being infected with hepatitis C.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040322/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto121874.html

Transperth goes Super Heroic for Radio Lollipop
One of the more colourful events on the Transperth calendar, the annual Radio Lollipop fundraising drive, moves into full swing next week.

Transperth has been involved in sponsoring Radio Lollipop, a not-for-profit organisation which provides entertainment for child patients at the Princess Margaret, Armadale and Fremantle Hospitals, and the Joondalup Health Campus, since 1995.

Transperth Acting Director Mark Burgess said today that the promotion was centred around the Radio Lollipop bus – a Transperth bus painted in this year’s Super Heroes theme.

“We have a range of activities set for next Wednesday (March 24), and hope to raise $100,000 for Radio Lollipop this year,” Mr Burgess said.

“In previous years only our buses were involved but, following the formation of the Public Transport Authority in July last year, Transperth now includes the urban passenger rail system and the South Perth ferry, so the whole of Perth’s public transport network is now behind Radio Lollipop."

“Next Wednesday the Radio Lollipop bus will be on display in Forrest Place, and there will be Radio Lollipop Cot Races between various celebrity teams."

“It will be a uniform-free day for our drivers – who are encouraged to wear fancy dress – and we will be running collections, selling Super Heroes merchandise, and holding sausage sizzles at all bus depots and the Public Transport Centre in East Perth."
http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=351

Wine tourism conference for Margaret River
Registrations are now open for the first MasterCard International Wine Tourism Conference.

The conference will be held in Margaret River in Western Australia from Sunday May 2 to Wednesday May 5.

Guest speakers include Simon Tam from the Hong Kong International Wine Centre; John Parkinson from Cellarmaster Wines; George Hickton, chief executive of Tourism New Zealand; and Peter de Jong, president/CEO of Pacific Asia Travel Association.

For more information, or to register your interest, visit www.winetourism.com/catalogue_list.asp.

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i saw on 7 news that 900 state public servants are leaving the cbd and will go to the old tax office in cannington :bash: ..
it is the dept that provides all the payroll and HR functions for all the other govt departments...........

they rejected the old woodside buidling since it was too expensive...

if they upgrade public transport, streetscapes and make a town centre etc.. in cannignton this could be a really good thing for perth imo

http://www.thewest.com.au/pictures/250-gen25anna1.jpg
Anna slips out after short Perth stay
RUSSIAN tennis ace Anna Kournikova slipped out of Perth yesterday after just a day inside the Hyatt Hotel's presidential suite with her boyfriend, Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias. She jetted in quietly on Tuesday and left yesterday without so much as a glance beyoond the hotel.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040325/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto122074.html

High-rises fetch high prices
PERTH'S thriving apartment market is leaving the floundering Sydney and Melbourne markets for dead.

A spate of luxury apartment sales above $1 million and continuing investment in units under $300,000 are keeping the market buoyant.

The only downside has been a cooling in sales of apartments priced between $300,000 and $600,000.

While an oversupply of apartments in Melbourne and Sydney is shaking investor confidence and the Reserve Bank has tried to cool the housing market with interest rate rises, buyers are pouring money into riverside apartments in Perth.

Ten upmarket apartments released last weekend in the South Perth Altitude development all sold within three days to local buyers. They were priced between $600,000 and $1.95 million.

Developer Saville Property Group managing director Sam Cheir was stunned by the result. "We thought it would take between eight to 12 weeks to sell," he said.

"These aren't cheap apartments. To sell out in under a week shows there is a lot of confidence in the market."

Agent Dee Seed, who specialises in top-end apartments, was able to list seven properties off the top of her head - all between $2 million and $3.5 million - that have sold this year.

"People were scared the bottom was falling out of the market, but Perth wasn't seeing the hype at the top-end like the Eastern States and apartments here aren't overpriced," she said.

Ms Seed is expecting offers of more than $4.5 million at the auction of a penthouse at 4 Bellevue Terrace, West Perth, today.

Record off-the-plan sales in two high-profile developments - Multiplex's redevelopment of the Raffles Hotel in Applecross and Allegro, the first tower in Mirvac Fini's The Peninsula development next to Burswood Resort, signalled the strength of Perth's apartment market last year, both all but selling out in days.

In 2003, there were 41 apartment sales of more than $1 million. Ten years ago there was only one.

The question is who in Perth can afford such lavish apartments?

Apart from big businessmen such as Brian Gardner, who paid a record $6.7 million for the Raffles penthouse, and AdultShop.com's Malcolm Day, who secured a West Perth penthouse for $6.1 million, agents say its cashed-up baby boomers, mining and building magnates and some Eastern States and overseas investors.

David Cresp, research manager for Colliers International, said local baby boomers were driving the luxury apartment market.

He said typical buyers were couples in their 50s or 60s who wanted to sell their family homes for something smaller and more manageable once their children had flown the coop.

Real Estate Institute of WA public affairs director Lino Iacomella said WA's mining industry was also fuelling the luxury apartment sector as investors bought apartments to lease to executives.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040327/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto122206.html

$50 million pledged for WA science
THE State Government pledged $50 million yesterday to attract new science and technology developments expected to generate $1 billion worth of investment in WA by 2015.

Premier and Science Minister Geoff Gallop unveiled the funding boost during a preview of WA's new planetarium at Scitech Discovery Centre in West Perth.

The InnovateWA2 announcement followed the Government's $50 million Innovate WA program launched in 2001 to promote innovation as a key driver of economic and technological change.

The first round of Innovate WA funding went to the redevelopment of the Scitech site valued at $24.6 million. A further $20 million has been set aside under a major research facilities program, which is expected to attract at least one facility to the State worth more than $60 million.

Applications to establish the facility from several groups in the oil, gas and mineral, medical, agriculture and fisheries, information and computing technologies and environmental industries are being considered by WA's Science Council.

The rest of the $50 million funded education initiatives worth $6 million including science teacher scholarships and research fellowships.

The latest $50 million in funding under InnovateWA2, expected to be in the 2004-05 State Budget, will be spread over the next five years.

Science Council chairman Ian Constable said the money would be spent on building research infrastructure needed to make WA more competitive on a national and international basis.

"We want to build this up to a sufficient scale in a number of key strategic areas for WA," Dr Constable said. "We need star scientists who will create new ideas and new information.

"We have lots of star scientists, but many of them are working in small groups which cannot compete against the Eastern States where the major Federal Government grants are now going."

Creating the $20 million major research facility as planned under the first Innovate WA was a big step towards becoming more competitive because it provided leverage for convincing the Federal Government to match the State funds.

He said the money would be used to attract postgraduate programs into science-based careers, buy equipment and bring together small groups of people working in a particular field.

Dr Gallop said Innovate WA was part of its comprehensive strategy to ensure science played a significant role in our economy
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040403/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto122649.html

Perth, Parramatta collide
After six months of soccer and a gripping finals series, the two best teams in the country will face off at Parramatta Stadium tomorrow for the final National Soccer League championship.

While champion Perth Glory demolished Adelaide United 5-0 last weekend to end a fortnight of frustration, Paramatta Power will enter the grand final as favourite.

It's hard to argue its claims given the 13 goals the Power netted in four outings against Perth this season, and its 6-2 aggregate major semi-final win.

"We'll play to our strengths and that's offensive football," Power coach Nick Theodorakopoulos said yesterday. "I do think that there's a general confidence among the players. They don't fear any opponent."

The Power will kick off the grand final with exactly the same starting 11 that beat the Glory 2-0 in Peth two weeks back, with prolific striker Saso Petrovic earning the nod ahead of Fernando Rech. Petrovic will play up front alongside newly crowned NSL player of the year Ante Milicic.

Travis Dodd holds his spot after coming off the bench to play a starring role during the finals series. His rival for the flank position, Lucas Pantelis, is also likely to see some action, while Parramatta's greatest asset is probably its midfield combination of Simon Colosimo, Andre Gumprecht and Peter Zorbas.

Perth's defence is one of the NSL's toughest, but it is its forward line that grabs the attention. Glory striker Bobby Despotovski demonstrated by scoring twice last week against Adelaide that he intends to finish his career in style, and his partner-in-goals Damian Mori also snatched a double in the preliminary final, improving his career tally to an NSL-record 225 goals.

Tomorrow's grand final will be Mori's seventh in the NSL - another record that will never be broken.

Perth will miss the suspended Brad Hassell, who did well against the Power in both semi-final matches, but it does have Tom Pondeljak - officially the second-best player in the country after his opponent Milicic was yesterday named player of the year.

The match will also feature the league's two outstanding goalkeepers going head-to-head. Perth's Jason Petkovic (253 votes) yesterday edged Clint Bolton (250) for the goalkeeper-of-the-year award.

While the grand final will dominate the next few days, players in both camps are already turning their attention to what comes next. With no new league to go to just yet, players are considering their options. Many of them are juggling planning for the future with concentrating on the immediate task at hand.

Perth captain Shaun Murphy, who confirmed he would stay in Australia until the new league starts, said he expected some players to head overseas.

Power captain Alvin Ceccoli, whose club folds completely after the grand final, said he would return to his newsagency business.

Theodorakopoulos issued a plea to potential owners of the Sydney team in the competition that will replace the NSL to keep the Power squad together.

"This is a very special soccer team. I just hope that too many (players) aren't decimated, that too many don't move on to other pastures," he said.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/04/02/1080544690132.html

Morley volunteers Leith Beckman and Barry Nott discuss home security with a homeowner.
A GROUND-BREAKING crime-fighting campaign is being trialled in Perth.

In an Australian first, civilian crime-reduction volunteers have been trained to help beat the burglary plague.

Volunteers have been used in burglary hot spots Bentley and Morley since November as part of Operation Burglary Countdown – with astonishing results.

In Bentley, burglaries have dropped 28 per cent and in Morley 26 per cent compared with the same period last year.

The burglary rate dropped 59 per cent in January in Bentley.

Trudi Angwin, project manager with the Office of Crime Prevention which is overseeing Operation Burglary Countdown, said the results were "staggering".

Volunteers provide information and advice to burglary victims, including security advice and counselling services.

And as part of the operation another new initiative called "cocooning" will be introduced tomorrow.

Based on a UK scheme, it is a technique that literally surrounds or cocoons burglary hot spots.

When burglaries are reported volunteers flood the area with a letter drop warning neighbours that burglars have struck the area.

"The letter-box drop makes people aware that burglars are active in their area," Ms Angwin said.

"Often burglars strike again in the same area so we have to strike quickly ourselves.

"We have to minimise the risk of more burglaries.

"The aim is to put a protective shield around burglary hot spots and premises to protect the community.

"Things are really working well."

Volunteers are supervised by a community police officer.

Volunteer Barry Nott of Noranda said: "Things are excellent. The suburbs are going through the roof."

Mr Nott, who is also a Neighbourhood Watch manager, added: "The improvement is immense.

"More people are getting to know about it and we are getting really good responses.

"There has been some apathy to previous schemes but this is changing people's attitudes.

"Victims are saying how pleased they are."
http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,9178001%255E2761,00.html

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Golden goal earns Perth NSL glory
A golden goal by substitute Nick Mrdja has given the Perth Glory a 1-0 victory in the last National Soccer League grand final.

The match was scoreless after 90 minutes in sodden conditions at Parramatta Stadium which made fluent football almost impossible.

Mrdja made the goal, playing veteran striker Damien Mori in on the Perth left. Mori beat one player then dragged the ball back into the path of Mrdja whose left-footed strike from just inside the penalty area beat Power keeper Clint Bolton.

The goal came nine minutes into the first period of extra-time and Mori was the most relieved man on the pitch, having just four minutes earlier missed a gilt-edged chance to win the match.

Mrdja was also involved in that chance, his cross falling to Mori inside the area after Power defender Peter Zorbas had slipped.

With Bolton coming off his line, Mori's right-foot shot sailed wide when scoring looked an easier task. Mori, who has scored 225 NSL goals, had missed a similar chance in the second half, putting a clear-cut chance over the bar.

Both sides were hampered by the conditions with surface water on the pitch making both slick passing and dribbling very difficult.

The rain appeared to have a greater influence on the Power, breaking up their free-flowing style.

The Glory made the best scoring chances in the first half.

Adrian Caceres was unable to latch onto Bobby Despotovski's deflected cross in the 14th minute.

Any number of Glory players could have scored in the 29th minute when another Despotovski cross led to goalmouth chaos for Parramatta before a free kick eased the pressure.

At half-time Perth had fired six shots, five of them on target, to Parramatta's two, with one on target.

Next year a new era will begin for soccer in Australia with the formation of an eight-team Australian Premier League competition to replace the traditional NSL.

The Glory are certain to be a part of that new league but Parramatta have already announced their soccer interests will be winding up
http://www.abc.net.au/wa/news/200404/s1080824.htm

Mint makes a silk purse for these pigs here
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IF THESE three little pigs went to the market, they would fetch a hefty price, especially sitting on top of a one-kilogram South Korean gold bar.

They are part of a 120-piece international gold bar exhibition worth more than $1 million which opens at the Perth Mint today.

Perth residents Nigel and Brigida Desebrock, of Grendon International Research, created the concept of the collection and are now the curators.

In South Korea, "pig bars" are popular gifts, particularly for weddings and anniversaries, given as gifts of money.

Mr Desebrock said pigs were a symbol of wealth,with pig bars trading at a small premium above the gold price in South Korea.

Other pieces include gold in the shape of boats, biscuits and doughnuts from Hong Kong, a replica of the world's first gold coin from the Bank of England Museum and an Indian wedding jewellery set.

Mr Desebrock said a popular attraction was an authentic smuggling vest, capable of carrying up to 125 small bars weighing 14kg, used to smuggle gold into India.

For the past 10 years, the exhibition has toured internationally, and belongs to a global collection of more than 700 pieces, involving 110 bar manufacturers and issuers.

The display includes the gold-making process, from ore taken from Australian gold mines to gold bars and end uses for gold.

Ed Harbuz, chief executive officer of Gold Corporation which operates the Perth Mint, said the collection was a world-class attraction and had drawn significant support from the gold industry.

The collection is expected to remain at the Perth Mint for at least three years.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040405/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto122701.html

WA produces eight of best
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EIGHT West Australians will be part of the strongest Australian swimming team to go an Olympic Games.

And at least five of them are strong chances of bringing back medals from Athens in August.

It was a remarkable and unexpected effort by the Sandgropers, who could only manage four swimmers in Sydney in 2000 and just two at Atlanta in 1996.

Excellent age group results in the last few years have finally translated into strong open results, turning WA into the third strongest State behind powerhouse Queensland with 13, and NSW with 11 swimmers. Four WA swimmers have individual events with Jennifer Reilly the best medal hope in the 400m medley. The Victoria Park swimmer is ranked third in the world, good enough to ensure her coach, Roger Bruce, is also on the team.

The other medals should come from the relay teams, with Todd Pearson and Antony Matkovich in the No. 1 ranked 4x200m freestyle and Pearson, Jono van Hazel and Eamon Sullivan in the 4x100m freestyle, which is in the mix for a podium finish. Sullivan was the surprise bolter at last week's Olympic trials in the Sydney Aquatic Centre, dropping more 1.5sec. off his best time to finish fourth in the 100m freestyle.

Sullivan, 18, is the youngest male member of a 42-strong team, split evenly between the men and women, and earned praise from national head coach Leigh Nugent.

"He's a classy sort of swimmer," Nugent said. "He's got good physical attributes, he's tall and lean.

"He doesn't have a lot of muscle definition yet so we can expect him, when he grows into a man, to really be something."

Seven of the eight swimmers are WAIS scholarship holders with Matkovic, the City of Perth swimmer who trains at the AIS, the odd man out.

WAIS is part of the turnaround in WA fortunes but is primarily in the areas of biomechanics, sports psychology and physiology, says West Coast coach Grant Stoelwinder.

One of the new young coaches on the scene, Stoelwinder has three swimmers on the team, plus two Paralympians and triathlete Peter Robertson.

He puts the resurgence down to local coaches and senior WA swimmers staying at home.

"We have a really good competitive group of kids who are going up against each other regularly," he said. "We have a group of coaches trying to get our kids up competing against each other in a positive way that's really driving us to success."

Shortly after the Sydney Olympics, Lester Watkins, Bernie Mulroy, Bruce and Stoelwinder were worried that the WAIS program was going to fall over and WA was going to lose young talent.

"We didn't want it centralised in one program," Stoelwinder said. "We wanted what we have now, a coaching panel where we meet regularly."

Nugent, the former national youth coach, agreed. "I felt that WAIS, the WA Swimming Association and the coaches were all sort of isolated from each other," he said.

"To their credit, we started talking to all groups and over a period we were able to develop cooperative relationships between everyone.

"That's not to say you want the coaches to be all buddy-buddy; you want them to be competitive but you don't them to be working against each other.

"When you're in a location like Perth, there's no getting away from it, you're isolated from the world. But if you're going to move ahead, you've got to do it as a group, you can't do it individually."

Nugent is particularly impressed with the number of medley swimmers coming out of Perth.

Adam Lucas was second in the 200m IM and an unlucky third in the 400m IM where he "didn't die wondering . . . he just couldn't hang on in the end".

"Travis is a great competitor and he's been coming and coming and coming in that event," Nugent said.

"It was no surprise to see him battling it out with (champion) Justin Norris."
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040405/sport/tw-sport-home-sto122689-pic23716.html

Record number of WA swimmers make Olympic swim team
A record number of Western Australian swimmers have qualified for selection in the 2004 Athens Olympic swim team, Sport and Recreation Minister Bob Kucera announced today.

Mr Kucera, who congratulated the swimmers and their coaches at Challenge Stadium today, said eight WA swimmers had been successful in qualifying, double the previous WA record of four in 1964 and 2000.

"Furthermore, of the eight swimmers to make the team, seven have been trained at the Western Australian Institute of Sport," he said.

"In 2000, two of the four WA athletes on the team were based at the national sporting institute, making this year's result even more remarkable.

"This fantastic achievement is testament to WA's expertise in sports training and coaching."

Mr Kucera said four WA swimmers had also been nominated for the Paralympic team, based on their performance at the Olympic Swimming Trials in Sydney last week.

"It is expected that the Australian Paralympic Committee will ratify those four as part of the Paralympic team in the near future," he said.

"On behalf of the Western Australian Government, I congratulate all our athletes and their support staff for an outstanding effort and wish them well in their final preparations for Athens.

"The Gallop Government is proud to support WAIS and WA Swimming in what has proven to be a successful partnership."

Saturday banking likely in WA
A BILL to allow banks to open on Saturdays will be introduced to the Western Australian parliament today.

Consumer and Employment Protection Minister John Kobelke said the Bill sought to bring WA into line with other states where some Saturday trading already provides greater convenience to customers.

He said it would also provide a level playing field for financial services in WA.

"The Bill will provide a fairer deal for consumers and those banks which are keen to open on Saturdays," Mr Kobelke said.

"Banks are already allowed to open on Saturday in other states and they should have the discretion to do so here in WA as well."

Mr Kobelke said banks would not be forced to open, but he had indications that branches in busy shopping locations would be among those likely to take up the option of Saturday trading.

"Services that banks will be able to offer on Saturdays are expected to include deposits, withdrawal, opening and closing accounts, bill payments, loan inquiries and applications," he said.

"Because Saturday will technically remain a bank holiday under the definition of the Act, banks will be able to decide what services they offer and may not be able to carry out some of the more complex transactions that they deal with on weekdays."
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9217137%255E2761,00.html

fuck its about time... how about the bank open past 4pm on weekdays aswell.. lazy ****s

banks in shopping centres are open until 5 on weekdays

most ppl seem to use the net these day nway

WA unemployment falls its lowest under the Gallop Government
The unemployment rate has fallen again in Western Australia, to its lowest level during the term of the Gallop Government.

Consumer and Employment Protection Minister John Kobelke said Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed the State's unemployment rate for March was 5.5 per cent, down from 5.6 per cent in February.

"Again, WA is below the national average and the average jobless rate under Labor continues to be almost one per cent better than the previous Liberal Government," Mr Kobelke said.

The Minister said under the Gallop Government, the State had an average unemployment rate of 6.3 per cent, compared with 7.2 per cent under the Liberals.

"I am pleased to see the total number of people with jobs in WA has increased by 5,600 and our participation rate is up to 65.6 per cent, which is the highest in Australia," he said.

"WA has recorded a new high in total employment, with 976,500 people now in work.

"The youth unemployment rate has also fallen from 25.2 per cent in February to 19 per cent in March."

Mr Kobelke said there was continued confidence in WA and this week's ANZ job vacancy report showed the number of vacancies advertised had risen to its highest level in almost 15 years.

"Job vacancies in WA rose by 16.1 per cent in the three months to March," he said.

"The Gallop Government is committed to creating more jobs and opportunities by attracting further investment in this State."

Big money sojourns south
PERTH's new rich have invested in million-dollar havens in the South-West and most are heading there this weekend for an Easter escape.

A boom in the mining industry and some strategic business decisions have allowed some of Perth's top young corporates to indulge in exclusive South-West properties and enjoy long winery lunches.

Throw in older money from people such as Michael Chaney, Ralph Sarich and Warren Anderson - who all own property in and around Eagle Bay - and the collective wealth in the Margaret River region could run a small country this long weekend.

Dunsborough bakery owner Gary Davies said the daily turnover more than quadrupled over the Easter weekend.

"We just keep manufacturing and manufacturing to keep up with demand," he said. "And we get them all in here, sports personalities, top businessman, you name it, they all come in here."

Montagu Stockbrokers' chairman Michael Atkins headed to his private home in Mt Duckworth estate near Yallingup.

He will be joined by Mt Duckworth neighbour, realtor Jamie Loh.

Mr Loh jointly bought Mt Duckworth - a 162ha parcel of land at the highest point on Cape Naturaliste - with three partners 15 years ago. The group got the site for $450,000, but it took 10 years to lobby the council and have plans approved to subdivide the site into 24 lots with 36ha allocated to the Department of Conservation and Land Management.

When put on the market five years ago, each lot sold for around $230,000. One resold at the end of 2002 for $680,000. Mr Loh said seven houses now completed at Mt Duckworth were all valued at between $1 million and $3 million.

The chief executive of new DVD delivery business Quickflix, Stephen Langsford, and wife Kim will be milling around the upmarket Eagle Bay area. They said they were lucky enough to be able to bunk up with various friends and family whenever they headed south.

Real estate agent Peter Clements had to take a raincheck on heading to his multi-million-dollar family-owned property in exclusive Bunker Bay.

"I would have loved to have gone down but I have to work this weekend," Mr Clements said. "A lot of farmers who have just had a bumper grain harvest have been looking to buy investment properties so I have to be around to catch them."

The oceanfront residence is owned by the Clements children, including Mr Clements' sister and former Cape Lodge owner Jo and her husband Edward Tait, the recently departed Macquarie Bank chairman.

Mr Clements has a special association with Bunker Bay. He married his model wife Jo on the beach in November. To put the value of their properties in perspective, 18 months ago a vacant block in Bunker Bay sold at auction for $3 million.

Stockbroker and Wise Winery heir Daniel Wise and wife Bianca can usually be found enjoying the delights of Eagle Bay and Dunsborough, but a wedding in Perth kept them away this weekend.

Professionals Dunsborough principal Peter De Chiera said the popularity of the region had made it increasingly difficult to buy land.

"We have buyers making offers on a daily basis trying to entice owners of beachfront land to sell down here because there is very little land left to buy," he said.

"And these are offers of up to and over $3 million and the owners refuse."

Mr De Chiera said that although strong price rises in the area in the past two years were encouraging, there was still a long way to go in the South-West especially as the region was becoming more tightly held by owners.

"If you compare prices here with Noosa and Byron Bay we haven't seen anything yet," he said. "Buyers who paid $1 million for beachfront land in the new Bunker Bay development 12 to 18 months ago could now sell it for around $2 million and in the next 12 months up to $3 million."

That is good news for Satterley Property Group chief Nigel Satterley and wife Denise, who own a property in the exclusive Edgewater development in Quindalup - a plot of 150 properties which has become a playground for the rich.

Land for sale a bit farther south in Cowaramup Bay has also escalated in value over the years.

As the region's reputation as a getaway for Perth's movers and shakers grows, so have the property prices, leaving the trendy coastal strip out of reach for most people.

Leeuwin Realty Professionals sales agent Craig Bamford said a number of big names in business had recently snapped up holiday homes in the Margaret River area.

Investment bankers, merchant bankers and even expats from Singapore were paying more than $1 million to get holiday homes there.

"Prices in Prevelly have doubled in the past couple of years," Mr Bamford said. "I recently sold a block for $420,000.

"Blocks in Gnarabup that were selling for between $325,000 and $335,000 two years ago are now on the market for between $600,000 and $700,000."

Even old houses around the town of Margaret River had doubled in price in the same period. "There is some fat money being thrown about in Wallcliffe Farms, which is a new subdivision, one piece of land sold for about $850,000," Mr Bamford said.

Farther south in Denmark there is Director of Public Prosecutions Robert Cock QC, Porter Novelli director John McGlue and Wildcats owner Luc Longley enjoying the peaceful locations of their Denmark holiday homes.

Property tycoon Bill Wyllie and wife Rhonda packed up and headed to their family property Rhonderosa in Waroona with children Suzanne, Luke and Melissa for the long weekend. The Wyllies put the 1526ha country retreat on the market last year for $16.8 million but it hasn't sold.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040410/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto122983.html

Sun draws crowds to busking hoopla
http://www.thewest.com.au/pictures/100-gen12hoop14.jpg
IS IT a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a whirling mass of hula hoops?

No, it's Sooper Hooper, a street performer sent to protect us from a boring day out.

When she isn't brightening the day of unsuspecting people, the superhero is not-so-mild-mannered Isobel Necessary,

Ms Necessary was among 120 acts at the Fremantle Street Arts Festival, a showcase of Australian and international street performers at the weekend. The 29-year-old from Darlington has played across Australia and overseas for almost 10 years.

Her act is about an ordinary woman who becomes a superhero when the need arises.

She said she loved street performing because she was close to her audience and could get immediate feedback.

"When it is working well it is really good, but when it is not it is risky," Ms Necessary said. "That is quite addictive."

Performers from sword swallowers to magicians entertained residents and visitors on the port city's pavements.

Festival artistic director Brendan Coleman said fine weather had meant big crowds. He expected more than 80,000 people saw the performers this year, paying only if they liked the acts.

"Fremantle is one of the best busking pitches in the country and this is a celebration of the world and Australia's best street performers," Mr Coleman said.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040412/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto123050-pic23805.html

Police hail stern stance on dealer
POLICE claim the judiciary has sent a stern warning to drug dealers by upholding WA's biggest ever drug-related jail term.

Paolo Sinagra-Brisca, 31, of Mt Pleasant, was alleged to have links to Perth's best-known drug dealers but was arrested during a big police operation code-named Kiwi last year.

The four-month probe relied on surveillance, telephone taps and intelligence analysis and netted about 6.1kg of high-grade speed and 2.5kg of ecstasy.

Sinagra-Brisca was jailed for 20½ years, the biggest term ever handed out for a drug dealer not involved in importing drugs.

Last week, the Court of Criminal Appeal upheld Judge Paul Healy's sentence, ruling the term was not crushing.

Justices Anthony Templeman, Christine Wheeler and Carmel McLure said Judge Healy was justified in not giving Sinagra-Brisca a big sentencing discount after finding his guilty plea was not motivated by remorse.

He was also not entitled to a discount simply because his assets had been seized under WA's tough criminal property confiscation laws.

Det-Sen. Sgt Pryce Scanlan, formerly from the Fremantle tactical investigation group which led the operation, said he was pleased with the court's ruling.

"The court has sent a clear message to drug dealers that people who deal in large amounts of drugs can expect to spend a lot of time in prison," he said.

Police estimated drugs found with Sinagra-Brisca to be worth about $1 million if sold in bulk and up to $20 million on the street.

In sentencing him, Judge Healy said the limousine company director and former plasterer had been a significant player in a big drug syndicate.

He said the haul was one of the biggest in WA's history.

"It takes little imagination to think what havoc would befall the community if these drugs had come on to the market," he said.

Sinagra-Brisca was arrested on March 8 when tactical investigation group officers swooped on him and two other syndicate members as they drove to Perth from Rockingham.

One of the other men was allegedly carrying 10,100 ecstasy tablets the group had just bought at a motel.

More stashes were found at houses Sinagra-Brisca rented in Como and Ardross under false names. Police also found cutting agents, deal bags, scales and other drug equipment.

In sentencing submissions, prosecutor Carmel Barbagallo said Sinagra-Brisca had served a jail term over drugs in 1999 and the former waiter at Old Papa's restaurant in Fremantle had strong links to the State's crime bosses.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040412/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto123051.html

World's greatest gold bar collection has new home in PerthP
The world's greatest collection of gold investment bars will today go on permanent display at the Perth Mint.

The Perth Mint is now the official location for the International Gold Bar Exhibition, which includes more than 120 dazzling samples from around the world.

Although the exhibition had been seen by thousands of people, it is a first-time showcase for Australian audiences.

The exhibition included an array of decorative and innovative gold bars, gold nuggets, coins, jewellery and gold industrial items.

A gold pig bar, a stunning Indian wedding jewellery set, individual 'yin and yang' bars, cartoon bars and hologram bars are among the more unusual pieces in the collection.

Government Enterprises Minister Nick Griffiths said many of the samples of gold included in the exhibition represented important historical events.

"The paper-thin Vietnamese gold leaf bars in the exhibition were much sought after by boat people fleeing war-ravaged Vietnam," Mr Griffiths said.

"Western Australia is indeed fortunate to have secured the world-acclaimed exhibition for permanent public display and it is a credit to the initiative of the Perth Mint and the State."

The International Gold Bar Exhibition also denotes the evolution of gold, with a display of gold-bearing ore through to replica Roman gold bars and modern technological items containing gold.

The exhibition belongs to a global collection of more than 700 gold investment bars and ancillary items, worth many millions of dollars

I went on the perth mint tour a few months back and was surprised how good it was.

WA hospital expansion announced
The Western Australian Government has moved to implement the recommendations of a major health review by announcing a $54 million expansion to the Rockingham-Kwinana Hospital.

The expansion will more than triple the hospital's bed capacity to 217, and follows a recent multi-million dollar upgrade to the emergency ward.

The project is part of a plan to increase the capacity of suburban hospitals.

Health Minister Jim McGinty says operating theatres and maternity suites will also be improved.

"The Reid Report recommends that Rockingham, Armadale, Swan districts and Joondalup all be dramatically upgraded with a number of beds and the medical sevices provided," Mr McGinty said.

"This is the beginning of the rebuilding of our public hospital system."
http://www.abc.net.au/wa/news/200404/s1085699.htm

poo poo's

...and this has what to do with WA news exactly?:)

alot:)

poo poo's
interesting article :)

thanx I wrote it myself

well as long as u wrote it and not laid it

Glory v Prosh: it's a draw
http://www.postnewspapers.com.au/20040410/news/images/prosh_main.jpg
The 5500 University of WA students who spilled out across Perth's inner city for Prosh were not about to bow down to a blaze of Glory.

Prosh director Edd Stockdale said he found out the day before that Perth City Council double booked the city streets on Wednesday for the Perth Glory and Prosh.

He said nothing was going to stop them from carrying out the 73-year tradition of Prosh, now one of WA's biggest street parades.

Edd said: "It just means my charities are going to get more money because there are more people to make donations and there'll be plenty of noise.

"I am not going to have some football players mess it up."

Prosh operates by exchanging the satirical student newspaper, this year named The False Allegation, for a gold-coin donation that goes to the Royal Association for the Blind, Camp Quality, the Dyslexia-SPELD Foundation and the Royal Life Saving Association.

Perth's conquering soccer heroes celebrated their premiership victory over Parramatta Power with fans at Forrest Chase after the Prosh procession had weaved past at midday.
http://www.postnewspapers.com.au/20040410/news/images/prosh_laugh.jpg
Their win in Sydney last weekend concluded the National Soccer League season.

But Edd said he had a sense of humour about the day, and that was what Prosh was all about.

"It's meant to be fun and this year's paper has brilliant political satire," he said.

The POST was assured by Edd about the quality of the publication, saying: "You have to wait until page 14 before you get your first toilet joke."

The tongue-in-cheek Prosh paper heavily featured local politicians, high sporting profiles (no Glory members) and international terror suspects (including Canada), along with trading tips from "your mate Rene".

Prosh hopes to raise over $100,000, which will beat last year's record of $98,000 and will conclude Edd's year as director.
http://www.postnewspapers.com.au/20040410/news/images/prosh_smurf.jpg
He said: "You only do this job once because, trust me, you don't sleep more than three hours in the months leading up to Prosh.

"You don't choose Prosh, it chooses you."

Perth police kept an eye on the scene but said the students were well behaved.

Subiaco police said they had attended Rokeby Road around 9am because a group of Prosh students dressed as nurses were causing trouble to traffic.

Sen-Sgt Phil Sutton said two juvenile girls were under the influence of alcohol, so they were detained until their parents collected them.

Police media said they had a number of complaints about dangerous behaviour in traffic by Prosh students across the metropolitan area, with a group driving a golf buggy recklessly in King's Park.

No one was charged.
http://www.postnewspapers.com.au/20040410/news/images/prosh_rock.jpg
http://www.postnewspapers.com.au/20040410/news/004.shtml

Im sure most forumers would of seen this in todays west (wednesdays, seeing it has a property section on this day:), that raine sq is again for sale which is good because the last proposal sucked big time. had no highrise compared to the previous proposal. hopefully someone with a strong vision will do something extensive than some freaken food court. Just image this entire block as well the block across the street (william st train station) all with new developments happening!!!!plussss the fremantle lines! :drool:
it would be a massive rejuvenation of the area.

its a huge site :D......
i liked the idea of some kind of food market will add life to the area and will allow residents more places to shop etc:.... but i think mixed use would be good.. some markets and some aptments and keep the bars there...

Is this news?:)
http://sgp1.paddington.ninemsn.com.au/getaway/factsheets/2002/5/images/perth1.jpg
Perth River Dash

Buckle up and get ready to take a ride along the Perth River that will have your knuckles white and hair raised.

Fremantle Harbour is popular with vessels of all types, but a new one, The Extreme, has quickly made its mark. The Extreme was designed and built in Western Australia by a locally owned and operated company, Extreme Tours, and is the only vessel of its type in Australia.

Based on high speed pursuit/assault craft used by the Singapore and Hong Kong water police and the Malaysian Special Forces, Extreme is 10.9 metres long, has a four metre beam and draws half a metre. It runs with two x 250 hp EFI V6 Mercury outboard engines and can effortlessly reach 40 knots.

Extreme can operate in most conditions, but for safety reasons will not run if sea conditions are over 1.5 metres and/or on-shore winds exceed 28 knots. They can alternatively operate on the Swan and Canning Rivers.

Safety is of utmost importance, and customised seating with aircraft-type lap belts have been incorporated for safety and comfort. Safety glasses are provided and must be worn at all times.

The River Dash goes from Fremantle Boat Harbour to the Swan Bells. From Chidley Point you have a commentary on the area, and then it's full bore to Barrack Square. There you have a cup of tea and a wander for half an hour around the Old Port Precinct and see the Bell Tower. Then it's back on board and flat out back to Fremantle.

Another option is the Sunset Sprint Tour. It leaves 15 minutes before sunset, the captain lines up the setting sun and takes the Extreme full speed towards it. The vessel is then slowed to an idle, so you can photograph the sunset at its most colourful.

The Ocean Encounter Tour leaves Fremantle's Fishing Boat Harbour, enters the Indian Ocean and you have an adrenalin-pumping, high-speed thrill ride for around 30 minutes. You will experience wake jumping, high speed turns and views of some of Western Australia's prettiest beaches.

Crews are professionally accredited and hold Certificates of Competency from the WA Department of Transport.

Location
Fremantle Harbour, south of Perth

Cost
Extreme Tours cost $60 per person. They operate every day from December to April and Thursday to Sunday, May to December.
Please note prices are valid at time of transmission and to the best of our knowledge are inclusive of GST.


More information


Extreme Tours
Ph/Fax: (08) 9337 3928
www.extremetourswa.com.au
jimmyvee@iprimus.com.au
Best Western: Ph: 131 779
www.bestwestern.com.au

they look cool, might go on it when I get some dosh:)
and lets home the moon and 6 pence stays! whatever happens to raine square

Sorry Rocstar, I just updated the raine sq thread without reading your post.

There are some good articles in this week's Business News about the resources boom. Although project news in Perth has sucked recently, it's true to say that the boom is only about to hit (cos it takes some time you see). I went to collect some stuff from storage at an int'l depot near the airport last week and the whole facility was unrecognisable - stuff and lorries everywhere! I asked what was going on and the manager said that they were swamped with international relocations to Perth cos of the resources boom. They were having to work all weekend to clear the backlog. Good to hear....Perth's economy is rocking, tourist numbers are up, the population is growing - surely it's only a matter of time....

sounds very promising 23knots...only a matter of time..only a matter of time... (as i continually shake my head) :)

Think positive....

Inner city primed for growth

By Kelly Girdlestone - Real Estate Editor

WHILE an overheated apartment market in Sydney and Melbourne has spooked many investors, local property experts say Perth's inner- city market is primed to grow.

Finbar director Rick Rimington said Perth's apartment market could not be likened to the Eastern States. If anything, it was undersupplied.

Annual demand for Perth apartments was about 650 units but only 450 were being built.

"Perth is a different market," he said. "In Sydney there are about 5000 apartments for sale . . . in Perth there have only been about 4000 apartments built since 1996."

Master Builders Association director of economics and housing Gavan Forster said there was underlying demand for inner-city apartments.

"There are still a number of projects to come. Banks require a certain amount, usually 50 per cent, to be pre-sold and these projects are getting finance, so there is still demand for them," he said.

Projects with more than 50 per cent pre-sales include Absolute, Cosmopolitan, Barrack Plaza, White Apartments Condor and Altair - 500 apartments in all. And 65 per cent of the 96 The Westralian apartments on Terrace Road, under construction, have been sold.

Mr Forster said attracting tenants to the city would continue, simply because of the WA economy.

"We also have a buoyant education sector and that creates demand from overseas students in Singapore, Malaysia and China and from their parents wanting to stay," he said.

Warning signs of a softening in Perth's inner-city apartment market emerged this week with Ralph Sarich reducing the residential units in his proposed 38-level Icon tower by half due to slow sales.

Sarich's Cape Bouvard Investments is proposing to scale down its original plan for 150 luxury apartments and replace it with offices. The site is opposite the new Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Colliers International research manager David Cresp said the luxury finishes and pricing of the Icon project were ahead of its time.

"The Icon site was always considered a good commercial site but there weren't enough tenants at the time so the developers turned it around and went for luxury apartments," he said.

Recent apartment sales in two of Perth's bigger inner-city developments have been strong. More than 60 per cent of Condor Tower, the $70 million redevelopment of 22 St Georges Terrace, is under offer and 40 per cent of Finbar International's Altair Waterfront Apartments on Terrace Road sold in three weeks.

But if there is continuing demand for inner-city apartments, why do projects such as the Raffles in Applecross, The Peninsula in Burswood and Arcus Apartments in Northbridge sell out in one week but not in the CBD?

Mr Forster said it was supply and demand and the locations of those properties had helped sales.

Perth still lacked a sense of community in the inner city, but that would change over time as more conveniences were introduced.

"It is a chicken-and-egg situation, you don't get the life and activity until you get the people," he said.

"What has been a problem historically is a lack of services and right up until recently you haven't had a lot of delis or shopping centres, but there are stores now catering for that."

Cool article. It's just a matter of a short period of time where Perth hits 'critical mass" in regards to inner city living:

"It is a chicken-and-egg situation, you don't get the life and activity until you get the people," he said.

"What has been a problem historically is a lack of services and right up until recently you haven't had a lot of delis or shopping centres, but there are stores now catering for that."

good article, what paper was it from?

Victoria fronts Perth in the cause of shoe sales
http://www.thewest.com.au/pictures/250-gen17glam13.jpg
THE new face - and cleavage - of shoe brand Windsor Smith jetted into Perth yesterday to be mobbed by autograph-hungry fans toting extensive back catalogues of girlie magazines.

Former Playboy playmate of the year Victoria Silvstedt travels the world splitting her time between modelling, television and movie commitments. From Sweden, she is in Australia for the first time.

"I saw Perth flying in and it's beautiful - and the beaches, oh my God, how can I come here without going to the beaches?" she gushed.

"It's like a tease this week because I got to see the place but not visit all the great places so it makes me want to come back."

Silvstedt had no qualms about getting involved in controversy surrounding Windsor Smith's risque billboard advertising.

"Being European I looked at these ads and thought, 'That's nothing'," she said.

Pictures for her Windsor Smith advertisements were shot in Los Angeles before she flew here for a whirlwind tour.

She has cut a swath through a who's who of Australian manhood, from dining with Barry Humphries in Sydney to a date tomorrow night with serial womaniser Sam Newman: "He's fun, he's such a nice guy . . . he's bigger than life."

But after saying she already had someone special, Silvstedt was startled by suggestions she was no longer on the hunt.

"I'm definitely looking, are you kidding me?" she said.

The big chances to impress in Perth were last night's Windsor Smith launch party in Subiaco or yesterday's in-store autograph session in the city attended by hundreds of predominantly male fans.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040417/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto123412-pic23912.html

Bus ride ends in bit of a jam
http://www.thewest.com.au/pictures/250-gen17bus5.jpg
THE big, red, double-decker bus clearly was never going to fit under the West Perth subway - but that didn't stop the person who took it for a joy-ride from trying.

That's how the bus became wedged under the subway in Sutherland Street early yesterday morning.

With its top peeled open like a tin can, the bus was well and truly stuck, causing disruption to morning peak-hour traffic.

Main Roads workers were able to free the vehicle and remove it by lunchtime.

Police allege that the thief stole the bus from the nearby La-Bog nightclub in Newcastle Street early yesterday.

The bus, which was a write-off, was a regular part of the Perth nightclub scene, used to ferry partygoers from one nightspot to the next around the city and Fremantle.

La-Bog owner Nunzio La Bianca said he would replace it as soon as possible because it was a valuable part of his business.

A 32-year-old Warwick man, who previously was banned from driving for life, was arrested at the scene and charged with stealing a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, refusing a breath test and driving without a licence.

Sen. Const. Ralph Stevenson said the man faced a further charge of damage after allegedly hitting a wall in anger at the Perth police station following his arrest.

He is due to appear in Perth Magistrate's Court on April 21.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040417/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto123403-pic23909.html

Study airs Perth pollution woes
Western Australian Greens MLC Jim Scott says it is not surprising Perth faired poorly in a Federal Government study on air quality.

Although the study found Perth was below acceptable limits for most air pollutants, the city's pollution levels were generally comparable to those of Melbourne, a city twice Perth's size.

Mr Scott says Perth residents are paying the price for poor planning.

"We have put our major industrial area right in an area we get our prevailing south-west winds, from Kwinana and in the last few years we've seen both the previous government supported by the Labor Party expand that area significantly to put more industry down into the Kwinana Street," he said.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1089394.htm

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Clinic deal to free up more beds
More than 100 hospital beds will free up under a $23 million project to build WA's first specialist rehabilitation centres for the elderly and mentally ill.

A deal struck between the Federal and State governments will see non-acute health care services such as physiotherapy and counselling move into the suburbs rather than occupy high-demand beds at Perth's big tertiary hospitals.

One centre will be built in the northern suburbs, possibly in Osborne Park, while another will be located in the southern metropolitan area, most likely in Fremantle, Bentley or Rockingham.

They will house the latest physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and occupational and speech therapy services and will operate as day clinics rather than inpatient hospitals.

Funding will come from the Federal Government's Pathways Home Program, with more than $16 million to be spent over the next 12 months building the centres and the rest to be provided by 2008.

Health Minister Jim McGinty said WA's ageing population and significant number of mentally ill patients were occupying expensive hospital beds when they would be better off being cared for closer to home.

Forecasts suggested that WA's population aged over 65 would double in the next 25 years. One in five people experienced a mental health disorder some time in their life and this rate was expected to increase. Already psychiatric patients were the biggest long-term users of beds in the health system.

"We know that many people with chronic disease don't need to be in an intensive care setting and would be better off at home with access to rehabilitation services," Mr McGinty said. "There is also continuing demand on our hospital beds and emergency care and this plan will free up beds for acute care patients . . . a change long overdue."

The move comes a fortnight after another deal between Mr McGinty and Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott to set up bulk-billing GP clinics near four Perth hospitals, a move that has angered some GPs in private practice.

Mr McGinty said WA was reaping the benefits of a new-found alliance with Canberra. Of the $103 million so far allocated by the Federal Government for the new rehabilitation centres, WA had secured more than a quarter of the funding.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040420/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto123557.html

Eagles line up trendy pub
The West Coast Eagles are planning to develop a supporters' club in the Leederville Hotel as part of a broader $10 million redevelopment of the popular Perth pub.

While the West Coast board's longer-term preference is to buy or develop a licensed clubhouse closer to Subiaco Oval for its members and supporters, the Leederville redevelopment option is being pursued because the club's ownership structure limits its ability to make non-football related investments.

Those restrictions are at the heart of negotiations with the WA Football Commission. But West Coast is seeking to circumvent the problem in the short term by negotiating a joint venture with the owners of the Leederville Hotel. The venture does not involve the AFL club committing funds to the redevelopment project.

Eagles chief executive Trevor Nisbett confirmed yesterday the board was in negotiations with the owners of the Leederville Hotel and that the redevelopment proposal had been received favourably by the Town of Vincent.

Mr Nisbett said the board had earlier canvassed various options for the proposed new facility around Subiaco, including a redeveloped Subiaco Football Club premises, The Vic hotel and the Irish Club.

Leederville Hotel director Barry Jones said talks with the West Coast Eagles began about three months ago and were part of a $10 million plan to redevelop the site. The plan included a separate licensed venue on the east side of the hotel site, a supermarket, retail area and serviced apartments at the rear of the block facing Vincent Street. Mr Jones said the negotiations with the Eagles board were aimed at creating a venue for West Coast supporters during away games and after home games. It was possible a separate function room would also be built to host Eagles events.

He said the arrangement, which could start next season, would be similar to a partnership with South African rugby union fans during the World Cup last year.

"I don't think they want your typical football clubrooms," Mr Jones said. "I think it is fair to say that both parties are excited by the potential."

While the West Coast board would not have to help fund the redevelopment, the hotel owners would benefit from the increased patronage and help West Coast attract younger supporters.

Town of Vincent mayor Nick Catania, who was briefed by West Coast management yesterday, said the redevelopment would need planning approvals but he supported the idea of creating a home for the Eagles in Leederville.

He said the proposal complemented other sporting developments in the area and the council was eager to see the Leederville Hotel site redeveloped.

Subiaco mayor Tony Costa said the council had not been approached about the plan to locate a clubhouse in the busy cafe strip, which already had problems with antisocial behaviour from patrons of licensed venues.

The Eagles' longer-term plan to develop its own clubhouse is part of a broader strategy to invest in non-football assets to shore up its balance sheet. That strategy depends on the Eagles gaining critical concessions from the WA Football Commission.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040420/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto123547.html

"WA will now be marketed aggressively by specialised consumer and trade marketing teams within the Tourism Commission based in Perth," Mr Kucera said.

"We are opening a tourism office in China, co-located with the WA Trade Office in Shanghai in order to focus on developing this important future market.

"This new approach will replace offices we have in Singapore and Malaysia.

"Our new Perth-based Japanese trade specialist will work out of the WA Government's Trade Office when visiting Japan.

"It is a bold move and breaks the mould in how State tourism offices have traditionally marketed their destination to the world."

The Minister said the new approach was partly in response to changes in technology that allowed a more innovative approach to the way in which the industry could market itself.

"Importantly, it will free up nearly one million dollars a year in fixed administration costs, which can be better used in direct marketing activity," he said.

"Our Sydney office will also be expanded to lead our Eastern States and New Zealand campaigns, replacing small trade offices in Brisbane and Melbourne.

"Importantly, WA is spending less on overheads, with savings directed back into marketing.

"The use of Perth-based trade marketing specialists has already been used in promoting WA in South Africa, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates very successfully.

"This business model gives local tourism operators better access to information and country-specific intelligence that they can use to boost their business."

Mr Kucera said the Tourism Commission would also establish a high-level strategic marketing committee to guide future marketing activity.

Industry would be involved through planning forums twice a year.

"The changes are a positive response to the fact that WA is competing for visitors in a tough global market and we need as many dollars as possible in marketing rather than bricks and mortar," the Minister said.

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kucera is fucking hopeless... waste of time... rottnest is a disgrace and so is the health system

20/4/04

Premier Geoff Gallop, together with 12 young Western Australian students, will fly out from Perth tomorrow to attend ANZAC Day commemorations in France and the United Kingdom.

The inaugural Government-sponsored trip is part of the Government's commitment to enshrining ANZAC Day as a day of primary importance to all Western Australians.

Two highlights of the tour will be on April 25, when the students and Dr Gallop attend the first dawn service to be held at the new Australian memorial in London's Hyde Park, followed by a commemoration service at Westminster Abbey.

The following day they will visit 10 Downing Street.

Before going to England, the students and Dr Gallop will tour significant Australian battlefields and memorials in France.

The group will visit Australian battlefields including Pozieres, Le Hamel, Fromelles and Villers Bretonneux, where many thousands of Australian soldiers died in World War I.

"Indeed, there are more Australians buried in Australian cemeteries around these villages than in any other part of the world outside Australia," Dr Gallop said.

The Premier will deliver the keynote address at the Australian War Memorial at Villers Bretonneux on April 24.

Dr Gallop said the student tour, which would be held each year until the Gallipoli centenary in 2015, would help keep the ANZAC flame alive.

"The ANZACs wrote themselves into the imagination and history of our nation," he said.

"They taught us priceless lessons about courage, resilience, self-belief and mateship.

"By participating in this annual pilgrimage, students will be able to develop a greater understanding of these core qualities and the real significance of ANZAC Day.

"They will gain an appreciation of why it is so important that we keep these core qualities alive in our society - perhaps now more than ever before."

Students who were chosen for the trip demonstrated a strong interest in, and knowledge about, the ANZAC experience, WA's connection to it and the State's military history in the 20th century.
They prepared a short speech on the topic: 'What is the ANZAC spirit and what does it means to you?'

Students were also required to know of the positive values exhibited in times of war, the lessons of war for the current generation and the importance of international peacekeeping processes and non-violent means of resolving conflict.

The 12 students who will travel with the Premier are:

Sarah Scaife, Year 8, Iona Presentation College
Timothy Grimes, Year 8, John Curtin College of the Arts
Meagan Pillinger, Year 8, Perth College
Danielle Williams, Year 10, Cecil Andrews Senior High School
Tegan Sullivan, Year 9, Narrogin Senior High School
Jon Tiller, Year 10, Merredin Senior High School
Aaron Porebski, Year 10, St Joseph's College, Albany
Edward Robinson, Year 12, Morley Senior High School
Joshua Caddy, Year 12, Hale School
Brock Tucker, Year 12, Sevenoaks Senior College
Melanie Kerrigan, Year 12, Geraldton Senior College
Megan Harrod, Year 12, Northam Senior High School.

The teacher chaperones are:

Mr Phil White (tour leader) Ballajura Community College
Ms Robyn Cleaver Narrogin Senior High School
Mr Norman Paini Morley Senior High School
Ms Lisa Bell Mindarie Senior College

The Premier will also be accompanied by Mike Board MLA, representing the Leader of the Opposition, Colin Barnett.

Premier's office: 9222 9475

______________________

Lucky ****s

Western Australian agriculture and food industry producers are combining their efforts to focus on the Singapore market.

Several companies, backed by the WA Government, are working together to create a generic brand for all WA products at Cold Storage, one of Singapore's biggest supermarket retailers.

Asia is WA's largest agri-food and fibre export market. Exports to Singapore have increased by almost 90 per cent over the past five years to $133million, making it one of the fastest growing markets in the region.

Agriculture Minister Kim Chance is travelling to Singapore tonight to support WA companies involved in a promotion running at all 27 Cold Storage retailers.

Mr Chance said the brand would be known as Western Australia's Finest and include a WA Season's Best promotion in the supermarket's fruit and vegetable section.

"The aim is to educate and inform Singaporean consumers through Cold Storage stores about WA unique products," the Minister said.

"WA's favourable climatic conditions, relative freedom from pests and diseases and proximity to Asia provides an excellent marketing platform for our food and beverage.

"The Western Australia's Finest concept recognises the quality and freshness of that produce with a defined goal of increasing exports to the Singaporean market."

Current major exports include pork, malt, vegetables, seafood, dairy products and a wide range of fruits. Expansion in growing areas will allow exporters to increase the range available to consumers in the future.

Western Australia's Finest promotion runs in Singapore until April 22.

While in Singapore Mr Chance will also be supporting 40 WA companies attending Food and Hotel Asia, the most important food and beverage exhibition in Asia.

The exhibition, open April 20 - 23, provides WA companies with the opportunity to promote their products to more than 44,000 visitors across the region.

The Department of Agriculture, with the Department of Industry and Resources and Austrade are jointly promoting WA products at this exhibition.

Some of the WA products on display include wines, yabbies, dairy, gelati, confectionery, fruit juice, cheese, meats and olive oil.

Minister's office: 9213 6700

State Development Minister Clive Brown left on an overseas trade mission today to further develop the important relationship between Western Australia and the People's Republic of China.

The 11-day mission will include a broad range of industry and governmental meetings in Guangzhou, Beijing, Shijiazhuang, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Yiwu.

Mr Brown will be accompanied by 16 members of the WA Chinese Chamber of Commerce and will be joined by senior representatives from Australia LNG, Gorgon Australia, BHP Billiton Petroleum and the Fortescue Metals Group.

The Minister said the Gallop Government continued to place increasing importance on developing business and cultural ties between WA and China.

"WA's rapidly developing trade relations with China play an important role in maintaining Western Australia's position as Australia's leading State economy," he said.

"Over the last 18 months, we have seen the $25billion LNG export deal between the North West Shelf and the Guangdong Province and a similar agreement between the Gorgon Joint Venture and CNOOC. We have also seen a record iron ore export deal between BHP Billiton and Chinese steel mills.

"With the Chinese economy expected to maintain strong growth well into the future, the Gallop Government's efforts in further developing WA's trading relations with China will continue to create jobs and opportunities throughout the State."

Mr Brown said there would be a number of important meetings during the mission, but highlights would include a keynote address to the Asia Pacific Business Forum, entitled 'New Business Opportunities in China - A Western Australian Perspective', and a meeting between Australia's Commonwealth and State Trade Ministers and a number of Chinese businesses.

He said he would also be holding an important meeting with the Chinese National Offshore Oil Company focused on securing new LNG export contracts for Western Australia.

Property a corker in wine's top spot
AN influx of overseas buyers has pushed property prices in the tourist town of Margaret River to record levels, with blocks now fetching more than those in some Perth suburbs.

The serenity that has become the emblem of the picturesque wine-growing region in the state's southwest is being threatened by increasing residential and commercial development.

There was strong demand for coastal properties last year, and in particular blocks with ocean views.

At the end of 2003, a 500-700sqm block in Margaret River sold for $118,277, compared with $110,021 for a similar plot in the Perth metropolitan area.

Land values in coastal towns in the region, such as Prevelly and Gnarabup, have increased from $395,000 in November 2002 to $650,000 in August 2003.

The shortage of land in the wine region has meant demand for established homes has increased, with the average price in 2003 rising by 28.85 per cent compared with 2002.

Stocker Preston agent Ken Preston, chairman of the Real Estate Institute's Margaret River region, said the biggest change had been the increase in overseas buyers.

He attributed the growth primarily to recent world events, saying a greater number of people were looking to live in smaller, remote regions where they felt safe.

"I've been in real estate for 15 years and for years you'd get the expatriates coming through in summer saying, 'One day I'm going to buy', but you never saw them again," he said.

"Now we have people from Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, the US and the UK who have come to settle here because they like the feeling of remoteness and being safe."

He said young families and retirees looking for a lifestyle change were buying into the region, but the lack of land meant first-home buyers or young couples were being pushed out of the market.

"The council doesn't seem to recognise the growth of the area - they thought it was just a short boom that would sort itself out," Mr Preston said.

"But there has been an enormous increase in land sales in the past 12 months, and properties are just running out."
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9364350%255E2761,00.html

All aboard for Collie's new tourist attraction
Collie's historic railway station has reopened following $210,000 of rennovation works.

Minister for the South-West Bob Kucera said it was fitting that George Davis, the grandson of Collie's first stationmaster, opened the newly restored station.

"The opening of this wonderful replica station is expected to increase the number of tourists to Collie," Mr Kucera said.

"The original station was built in 1898 and was eventually demolished in 1977.

"Local volunteers have done a wonderful job rebuilding the exterior of the station to reflect how it would have looked in the 1940s.

"Tourists on the Hotham Valley train will be able to come in, enjoy a cup of tea and look around the station.

"The interior has been completely refurbished to include a kitchen, modern toilets, craft room, morning/afternoon tea room and a memorabilia room."

Collie MLA Mick Murray said the Collie Railway Station Group had raised $149,000 to see the project come to fruition - supported by a State Government contribution of $64,400.

"The whole community has been involved in this project, with the majority of work done by volunteers," Mr Murray said.

"The rebuilt station will add to Collie's growing suite of tourism attractions, which helps create more job opportunities in both existing and new businesses."

Public off track on crime: report
People in WA believe crime is on the rise despite evidence to the contrary, a new survey has revealed.

The joint study by the University of WA crime research centre and its NSW counterpart into public perceptions of crime trends in the two States found WA people thought crime levels had risen across a number of offences in the past two years.

A majority of WA people thought rates of home burglary, car theft, sexual assault and shoplifting had gone up, while rates of murder and robbery with a firearm had stayed about the same.

But the report said crime trends in all categories except car theft had stayed stable between October 2001 and September 2003. Car theft fell 6 per cent.

NSW people also believed crime was an increasing problem, while in both States women and older people were more likely to believe that crime was becoming more common.

University of WA criminologist David Indermaur said the results were not surprising but the fact that the public suffered from these misconceptions was concerning for a number of reasons.

"Firstly, an increasing fear of crime decreases quality of life," Dr Indermaur said. "And it leads to wrong-headed public policy . . . reactive crime control."

Police Minister Michelle Roberts said intense media coverage was partly to blame for misconceptions.

"People are very aware of crime and, as a result, their perception of crime is generally higher right round Australia and indeed around the world than the actual rate of crime," she said.

"Sadly, in recent years there has been far too high a level of car theft and too high a level of burglary but we are trending in the right direction."

Acting shadow police minister Cheryl Edwardes said she would be concerned if the Government were to use the report in any way to say that people's fears were unfounded and to justify continued police cuts.

But WA Police Union president Michael Dean said the reality was that crime rates across Australia were increasing every year at a rate exponential to the population growth.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040424/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto123812.html

Broome-ing marvellous
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Arriving in Broome in north western Australia feels very strange.
But it's not due to the 18-hour flight or the scorching sun battering your white skin the second you step off the plane.

It's because you have arrived in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

The tourist board's slogan sums the town up perfectly. ``You can relax now. You're in Broome.''

Broome is a seaside town with a population of around 8000 people and it was little surprise to find many of the locals were tourists who decided to stay.

They could not leave the year-round sunshine, white sandy beaches and laid-back lifestyle.

At first, I tried to argue I was only being seduced by Broome because I needed a holiday.

"It's been a hard year, I'd feel like this anywhere, " I told myself.

But I was wrong. there's much more to Broome than a lifestyle of slothful abandon.

As soon as I found the energy to drag myself away from sunbathing decided to go for a camel ride along the town's famous 14-mile long Cable beach.

OK, so it's hardly the same as scaling the Sydney Harbour Bridge but it's a start.
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Broome is famous all over Australia for its camels. They were imported from Afghanistan and the famous Ghan train that connects Alice Springs to Adelaide is named after the camel dealers who introduced them to the country.

Little did I know when I booked my excursion I would be looked after by an acclaimed trainer and travelling by the species' equivalent of Rolls Royce.

John Geappen, co-owner of Red Sun Camels, transported six of his livestock to Seoul in South Korea earlier this year where they starred in Verdi's opera, Aida.

A couple of years earlier they were roaming wild in the Australian desert.

I ended up on the hump of Luke, a beautiful beast who was smoother than James Bond chatting up a Quantas air hostess.

Mr Geappen has an unconditional love for his camels, especially Luke, and after the tour he was like a proud father as he showed me magazine cuttings of his boy's fashion shoot with international models.

Broome has enjoyed a real tourist boom in the last 12 months but sadly, this is partly due to the Bali bombings.

The Indonesian resort is only a short boat ride from the town and many fearful tourists, especially Australians, have decided to visit this tropical haven instead.

Stars such as George Clooney and Kylie Minogue are among its growing list of fans.

But in spite of its popularity, Broome hasn't bowed to commercialism.

It has retained a peerless identity and is the last outpost before the vast, rugged Kimberley region with its stunning gorges, caves and waterfalls.
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Broome became famous in the 1880s as the home of mother of pearl, which was then shipped world-wide to make buttons.

On the outskirts of the town you can visit a cemetery which contains the graves of renowned Japanese pearl divers. The town is still celebratedfor its pearl industry and a trip to Willie Creek Pearl Farm will show you how the gems are produced.

The gift shop sells stunning pieces of jewellery from £20 to £50,000.

But Broome's deep blue waters are home to more than pearls a variety of sealife can be found beneath the ocean and fishing excursions are widely available.

Other worthwhile tourist attractions include Broome Crocodile Park, which houses 1500 crocs from all over the world.

But if you think these are the most dangerous creatures to ever roam the town, you'd be wrong.

You can see dinosaur footprints dating back more than 120 million years at Gantheaume Point.

This scenic area of red, craggy cliffs overlooking clear azure water is less than four miles away.

Yes, there is a lot more to do in Broome than be a beach bum. Even when the sun disappears into the Indian Ocean there is still more to discover.

A must-see is the Staircase to the Moon a breathtaking optical illusion which creates the image of a stairwell reaching into the sky.

It's caused by moonlight bouncing off exposedmudflats on Roebuck Bay at low tide and occurs between March and October.

Eating out in Boome is also a pleasure and Asian cuisine dominates the menus.

The town even boasts its own Chinatown district which is crammed with good restaurants.

There are also plenty of places to stay in Broome and accommodation ranges from budget to luxurious.

was in the four-star Blue Seas Resort, which is just a few minutes walk from Cable Beach.

These beautifully decorated, self-contained apartments offered everything had at home plus a few enjoyable extras such as a Jacuzzi and swimming pool.

It's a long way to go for a relaxing holiday but Broome is certainly worth the 18-hour flight and every one of the 8000 miles I travelled to get there.I LOVED: Riding a camel along Cable Beach at sunset I HATED: The exotic beasties that came out at night
http://icdunbartonshire.icnetwork.co.uk/lifestyle/tm_objectid=14163713&method=full&siteid=50141&headline=broome-ing-marvellous-name_page.html

$35m boost for WA ambulances
A FLEET of 30 new ambulances will roll onto West Australian roads in the coming months, with the state government announcing an extra $34.7 million for emergency response vehicles.

An updated five-year contract with St John Ambulance, announced by Health Minister Jim McGinty today, will put five more 24-hour ambulance crews and 16 extra day crews on Perth's roads, with a further 12 officers in the country.

Mr McGinty made bold commitments for emergency response times, after WA fell well below national guidelines last year.

"The state government's increased investment represents an almost 40 per cent boost in funding to St John Ambulance," Mr McGinty said.

"The extra ambulances and manpower will ensure St John continues to meet the emergency needs of the growing population in Western Australia."

The 30 new ambulances and 100 new officers meant priority one emergency cases should be attended within 10 minutes, priority two urgent cases within 15 minutes, and non-urgent cases within 40 minutes, the minister said.

The extra vehicles would complement a new computer system connecting all of Perth's major hospital emergency departments to the ambulance control room.

Coordinators now knew exactly how many patients were waiting in each emergency department and how many beds were available.

In the past six weeks, the Gallop government has announced a $20 million allocation to open 332 extra hospital beds in Perth hospitals and four new after-hours, bulk-billing emergency medical centres adjacent to major hospitals.

Mr McGinty also allocated $22 million to upgrade hospital emergency departments and the recruitment of 927 more full-time salaried nurses in public hospitals.
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9414724%255E2761,00.html

Key to City for Haruhisa Handa
Japanese philanthropist Dr Haruhisa Handa has been honoured by being presented with the Key to the City of Perth.

In a ceremony at Council House today, Deputy Lord Mayor Bert Tudori presented Dr Handa with the oversized key, paying tribute to his outstanding and generous support of the Arts and other worthy causes in Western Australia.

Receiving the City Key is a rare honour bestowed upon people considered to have made a "significant and meritorious contribution" to the City or State or to have reached a high level of achievement in their chosen field.

Dr Handa has been a frequent visitor to Perth over the past 15 years and regards our city as his second home.

Cr Tudori said Dr Handa had made major financial contributions to a range of artistic and cultural endeavours, including the Perth International Arts Festival’s 50th anniversary, the centenary of His Majesty’s Theatre and construction of a percussion studies building at the WA Academy of Performing Arts.

Letters of support were received from the Perth Theatre Trust, Art Gallery of Western Australia and His Majesty’s Theatre.

Dr Handa is also chairman of the International Foundation for Arts and Culture which funds and supports charitable activities through various events related to music and the Arts.

He has funded a gymnasium and sports facilities for the Association For The Blind; contributed to a speech and hearing centre in Wembley; sponsored the Year 12 art exhibition at the Art Gallery of Western Australia and is Patron of the Australian Opera Studio in Midland where young opera singers are trained.

Dr Handa has also introduced many Japanese people to Perth during his many visits.

"Dr Handa has a special relationship with Perth and is widely recognised for the contribution he has made to our city," Cr Tudori said.

Conferring Keys to a City has its origins in medieval times when admission into a city was subject to legal restrictions as well as by walls and locked gates. The key symbolises free entry. The honour still carries great prestige, but no legal right or privilege.

The last person to receive the honour in Perth was solo round-the-world yachtsman David Dicks in 1996.
http://www.perth.wa.gov.au/html/org10_.php?title=Key+to+City+for+Haruhisa+Handa&date=2004-04-28

Street sleaze blitz catches 40
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Up to 40 kerb crawlers and street prostitutes have been caught in a four-day police crackdown on the sex trade on Perth's inner-city streets.

Operation Crawler, which ended last night, saw about 30 men and 10 women issued with move-on notices.

The notices allow police to ban prostitutes suspected of soliciting or kerb crawlers attempting to procure a prostitute from an area bounded by Newcastle, Lord, Fitzgerald and Walcott streets for 24 hours.

The recent issuing of move-on notices marks a change of tactics by police. Previously they relied on charging people with soliciting or attempting to procure when targeting the street sex trade.

Both offences are difficult to prove but anyone who ignores a move-on notice can be charged with breaching the order and then be hit with a restraining order banning them from the area for 12 months.

Street prostitution team leader Sgt Steve Beswick said the blitz was in response to complaints from local residents and businesses.

"We are letting it be known that if you come to this area and continually get caught you are going to get embarrassed," he said.

"You are also going to be put in front of court for a restraining order as well and then have to explain that to everybody."

Sgt Beswick said despite previous crackdowns, women and young girls who live in the area were still being approached by men for sex.

"We've also got businesses contacting us on a weekly basis informing us about activities at the rear of their premises . . . where the deed is actually being done," he said. "They are coming to work and there's condoms, syringes and all sorts of stuff lying around in their carparks."

Police generally find most kerb crawlers are married or have partners.

Many have children and their families have no idea of their activities. They seek street prostitutes because they are cheap, anonymous and quick.

In addition to issuing dozens of move-on notices, officers from the street prostitution team have also charged people with drug, drink-driving and weapons offences. A 43-year-old Bunbury man who was issued with a move-on notice on Monday afternoon was charged with breaching the order about three hours later after he allegedly ignored the notice and returned to the area.

Sgt Beswick said that the street prostitution team was also gathering intelligence "for other ongoing investigations in other areas".

Sgt Beswick declined to comment on investigations into two unsolved murders involving street prostitutes and the abduction and attempted murder of a third in the area.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040430/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto124144-pic24122.html

Multi-million dollar boost for WA ambulance service
The State Government will spend an extra $34.7million to put more ambulances on the road, improve response times and reduce the need for ambulance diversion and ramping at hospital emergency departments.

Health Minister Jim McGinty said a new five-year contract with St John Ambulance (SJA) would give Western Australians better access to emergency care.

The extra funds would pay for 30 new ambulances and more than 100 new ambulance officers and communications staff. This would enable SJA to put five more 24-hour ambulance crews and 16 extra day crews on the road in the metropolitan area and a further 12 officers in the country.

"The State Government's increased investment represents an almost 40 per cent boost in funding to St John Ambulance," Mr McGinty said.

"Ambulance demand has increased on average by six per cent per annum in the past 10 years."

In 2002-03, demand on ambulance services saw response times in WA fall below acceptable national standards.

Mr McGinty said response times were now expected to improve significantly with the additional funding. Emergency cases (priority one) should be attended to within 10 minutes; urgent cases (priority two) within 15 minutes; and non-urgent cases within 40 minutes.

"The extra ambulances and manpower will ensure St John continues to meet the emergency needs of the growing population in Western Australia," the Minister said.

Access to emergency services will also be improved with the computer system recently installed in the St John Ambulance control room.

The system links the ambulance control room directly to the emergency departments throughout the metropolitan area and provides the SJA control room with an up-to-date snapshot of each emergency department.

Ambulance co-ordinators will know how many patients are being treated in each emergency department; how many patients are waiting; how many beds are available; and how many ambulances each emergency department has received in the last four hours.

The information is updated every five minutes and will ensure ambulances are directed to the hospital best able to cope with emergency patients at any given time.

"Connecting the St John Ambulance control room with emergency departments will significantly reduce the need for diversion and ramping at metropolitan hospitals," Mr McGinty said.

Royal Perth, Sir Charles Gairdner, Fremantle, Rockingham, Swan District and Armadale Hospitals are all linked to the system. Joondalup Health Campus will be on line shortly.

St John Ambulance chief executive officer Ian Kaye-Eddie said he was delighted that the Government had agreed to provide the additional funds.

"This will enable St John to respond to emergency calls and the distribution of patients to hospitals more effectively over the next five years," Mr Kaye-Eddie said.

The new contract with SJA complements other State Government initiatives to relieve pressure on hospital emergency departments, including:

a $20million allocation to open 332 extra hospital beds across metropolitan hospitals;
four new after-hours, bulk-billing emergency medical centres adjacent to major hospitals;
$22million to upgrade hospital emergency departments; and
recruitment of 927 more full-time salaried nurses in public hospitals.
In another initiative, the Government will trial a five-month program, in which some non-urgent calls to SJA will be transferred to the HealthDirect call centre for detailed assessment. Appropriate patients who do not require ambulance attendance will then be referred to alternative care options, rather than being taken to emergency departments.

"The combined impact of these strategies will enable our metropolitan public hospitals and emergency departments to operate more effectively with shorter waiting times, reduced emergency department congestion and less ambulance diversion," Mr McGinty said.

WA retains high performance hockey program
Western Australia has been successful in retaining the national High Performance Hockey Program for another four years, Sport and Recreation Minister Bob Kucera announced today.

Mr Kucera said Hockey Australia had considered bids from WA, New South Wales and Queensland and the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra when it met in Sydney over the weekend.

"I am absolutely delighted that WA's expertise in hockey has been recognised," he said.

"When WA faced the possibility of losing its only high performance teams sports program, the State Government acted immediately to ensure a strong bid was put forward to keep it here.

"WA's bid, prepared by WA Hockey, with support from Curtin University, the Department of Sport and Recreation and the Western Australian Institute of Sport, was impressive.

"This decision is great news for all Western Australians, but particularly the athletes, their families and the coaches."

Mr Kucera said Australian Olympic hockey teams had been very successful since the program was moved to Perth 20 years ago, winning six Olympic medals.

"The men have won back-to-back Commonwealth gold medals and 19 Champions Trophy medals," he said.

"The women have won nine Champion's Trophy medals.

"With the program here for another four years, I am confident the team will continue to succeed.

"Hockey Australia can be assured that WA will continue to support the program to world's best standard."

State Government committed to smarter and faster policing
Western Australian police officers are now equipped with one of the most sophisticated communication systems in the world.

Police Minister Michelle Roberts said the new Computer Aided Dispatch and Communication System (CADCOM) would not only help police respond more quickly to an incident but provide officers with essential information to deal more effectively with a crime.

Mrs Roberts said $22million had been invested into CADCOM and an additional $12.5million into the new Police Communications Centre at Midland.

The Minister said with CADCOM now operational, it was another major step in the State Government's commitment to developing a high-tech police service.

"It has been a budget priority for our Government over the last four years to re-equip the Police Service with the latest technology to ensure our communities are safe," she said.

"This state-of-the-art new communications system is all about creating smarter and faster policing to protect our communities from any kind of threat.

"CADCOM will not only enable faster response times, but forewarn officers on what they may encounter on reaching the scene."

Mrs Roberts said CADCOM was a major asset in the deployment of officers, providing frontline police with instant access to computer-generated maps and information links to other Government agencies.

"For example, in keeping with the Government's response to the Gordon Inquiry and the push to combat domestic violence and child abuse, police will now have access to more information to be better prepared before they reach an incident," she said.

The Minister said the old communications system was designed more than 40 years ago. It could not meet contemporary demands and posed a security risk.

The State Government had already committed more than $50million to purchasing a new radio network to complement the CADCOM system.

"Now CADCOM is operational, we can now start evaluating new radio systems to link in," Mrs Roberts said.

"The new system will also include Automatic Vehicle Location technology for tracking operational police vehicles, which will not only help safeguard officers, but ensure better use of police resources across the metropolitan area."

Danger roads targeted
MORE than 200 dangerous roads will be made safer under a $19 million Black Spot funding package announced yesterday.

Community Safety Minister Michelle Roberts said the money would target roads which had a history of accidents causing injury.

Black Spot funding has increased by $6 million in the past two years.

Councils will contribute a further $3.75 million to the program.

Roads included in the program were ranked among the worst in the state for vehicle crashes.

One of WA's most notorious crash sites, the intersection of Reid Highway and Mirrabooka Ave, is listed for major works after 259 traffic accidents – 82 of them serious – in the past five years.

Improvements costing $600,000 will include anti-skid surfacing, lane redesign and modified traffic signals.

Mrs Roberts said the Mirrabooka intersection had the 25th highest crash rate in the state.

She said 203 traffic and road locations throughout WA would be upgraded.

The Government will allocate $7.5 million for 45 projects on state roads and $7.5 million for 158 projects on local roads.
http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,9442653%255E2761,00.html

China signs North West Shelf gas deal
China has finalised a deal to buy $25 billion worth of natural gas from the North West Shelf from 2006.

The contract, signed today in Beijing, firms up an earlier agreement and represents a record export deal with Guangdong province.

Western Australia's State Development Minister, Clive Brown, was in Beijing for the signing.

The deal includes a contract to build the terminal to receive and distribute the gas.

"The contract signed this morning will now facilitate the construction of that terminal," he said.

"It will also facilitate off-take agreements so that power stations and other users are now contracted to use Western Australian gas."
http://www.abc.net.au/wa/news/200404/s1098892.htm

Major contracts secure sale of $25billion of LNG to China
A total of 11 gas offtake contracts were signed at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing today that will see $25billion worth of gas from the North West Shelf used throughout the Pearl River Delta, China's Guangdong province and Hong Kong.

Financing, engineering, procurement and construction contracts were also signed that pave the way for the construction of an LNG receiver terminal and trunkline in the Guangdong province.

Speaking from Beijing, where he witnessed the signing of all contracts, together with senior Chinese Government officials including Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan, State Development Minister Clive Brown said the agreements represented a significant milestone for Western Australia's LNG industry, with China projected to begin using WA gas from mid-2006.

"WA is now one step closer to supplying clean energy to the world's most populous nation," Mr Brown said.

"The gas sale, engineering, procurement and project finance contracts signed today will underpin the record $25billion LNG export deal signed in 2002 between the North West Shelf Joint Venture Partners and the Guangdong LNG (GDLNG) project.

The Minister said the contracts included:

the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the LNG terminal to be located near Dapeng village, east of Shenzhen, Guangdong province. This contact provides for the construction of the LNG reception facilities that will receive, store and regasify LNG from the North West Shelf Joint Venture;
loan agreements between GDLNG and their lending banks which comprise a consortium of four Chinese banks; and
gas sale contracts between GDLNG and each of the end-user projects in Guangdong and Hong Kong.
Mr Brown said the contracts represented another significant milestone in WA's rapidly developing relationship with China.

"WA's rapidly developing trading relations with China are playing an important role in maintaining WA's position as Australia's leading State economy," he said.

"In addition to the North West Shelf Joint Venture's record $25billion LNG export deal with the Guangdong Province, we have seen over the last 18 months a Memorandum of Understanding between the Gorgon Joint Venture and China National Offshore Oil Corporation Limited and a record iron ore export deal between WA iron ore producers (BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto) and Chinese steel mills.

"Today's agreements remind us of the potential for WA to play an even greater role in China's economic development and secure further jobs and opportunities here in WA."

Mr Brown is currently on an 11-day trade mission to China that includes a broad range of industry and governmental meetings in Guangzhou, Beijing, Shijiazhuang, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Yiwu.

The Minister is accompanied by 16 members of the WA Chinese Chamber of Commerce and has been joined by senior representatives from Australia LNG, Gorgon Australia, BHP Billiton Petroleum and the Fortescue Metals Group.

The latest ABS article in PDF format shows that WA has a 21billion dollar a year trade surplus. This should increase a bit I reckon :)

wish WA got more benifits from that though

...yeah, it all goes to Victoria and NSW:)

Burswood Australia's Best for Large Conferences
Burswood International Resort Casino has been named Australia’s best meetings venue for large conferences at the Meetings Industry Association of Australia’s (MIAA) national awards in Melbourne last night.

Burswood and the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre were named joint winners of the MIAA category ‘Best Meeting Venue for More Than 500 Delegates’.

The award complements the string of awards Burswood has recently won, including being named the back-to-back winner of the Australian Tourism Award’s Meetings and Business Tourism Award and Best Overall Hotel in Australian by the Australian Hotels Association.

“It’s fantastic that the award-winning standards of Burswood International Resort Casino have been recognised by the highest level of our industry,” Burswood’s Managing Director John Schaap said.

“We’ve had an outstanding year with numerous accolades bestowed on the Resort. It is a real tribute to our staff and our facilities to be honoured in this way.”

“Burswood’s award-winning success cements the Resort’s position as one of the State’s premier entertainment and tourism attractions.”

Burswood offers meeting organisers the most comprehensive range of facilities in Australia with more than 20 venue options, catering from 21,000 people in the Burswood Dome, to 2,300 people in Burswood’s theatre, to 10 people in the Hotel’s meeting rooms.

More than $96 million was spent in a Resort-wide improvement program in 2001, which included adding a 1,800 square metre Grand Ballroom with an adjoining 1,800 square metres of pre-function and registration/reception area.
http://www.burswood.com.au/content.asp?area=media

Chinese to get taste of WA's top attractions
Thirty million Chinese will get a taste of holidaying in WA from a ground-breaking documentary which begins filming in Perth this weekend.

A well-known Chinese television presenter, a producer and interpreters will film the three-part series, which will be broadcast by GZTV in the booming Chinese city of Guangzhou.

They will team up with Perth company Circling Shark Productions, the firm behind Just Add Water and Postcards WA, which struck the deal with GZTV officials after meeting them at an international documentary conference in Fremantle in February.

The crew will film segments at nature-based locations specially chosen for the lucrative Chinese tourist market. They include Rottnest Island, Wave Rock and the Pinnacles. Perth will be promoted as a destination for keen golfers.

The program host will meet koalas at a wildlife park and will eat a traditional Australian barbecue. The documentary will also show fish and chips being eaten on a pristine beach.

Busselton jetty's underwater observatory, which has proved a tourism boon since it opened last year, will feature as part of a bid to promote the State's South-West.

Major resource ventures are expected to feature and smaller projects, like Capel's Challenge Dairy, which supplies dairy products to China, will be used to show WA's growing links with the Asian economic giant.

China's interest in WA has boomed since 2002, when it took a stake in the North-West Shelf gas project and signed up for $25 billion in liquefied natural gas.

WA has since signed other major contracts to supply iron ore to China, which is undergoing the biggest economic boom in its history. The deals have made China WA's most important export market.

Tourism Minister Bob Kucera said the huge Chinese market had the potential to pump millions of dollars into WA tourism projects.

The resource deals had put WA on the map in China and there was great interest among the Chinese in travelling to WA.

Circling Shark producer Ray Pedretti said China was the world's last untapped media market and wages were increasing rapidly.

"This is a unique opportunity for companies and regions to showcase their products to a new and emerging market and a chance for WA to take a leading edge in promotion within China," he said.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040505/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto124399.html

State Government announces anti-graffiti program
In the battle against vandalism, the State Government today announced a multi-million-dollar funding program to support a proven weapon against graffiti - community art.

Community Safety Minister Michelle Roberts said the State Government had allocated more than $3million to help local governments fight crime and graffiti vandalism.

Mrs Roberts said graffiti vandalism cost the Western Australian community more than $25million a year.

"Graffiti is an abhorrent and costly crime," she said.

"It is destructive on a personal and social level, dividing communities and leaving many victims in its wake."

As part of the State Government's anti-graffiti campaign, Mrs Roberts today launched the 'Six Feet Under Project' at Karrakatta train station underpass.

More than 40 students from local schools Moerlina and Quintilian, banded together under the guidance of local artist Alison Barrett, to create a spectacular community artwork which is designed to dissuade graffiti vandals.

The Minister said the Nedlands City Council had secured nearly $9,000 worth of funding for the project, which took nearly five months to complete.

"Everyone has a role to play in fighting crime and 'Six Feet Under' shows just what can be done with imagination and hard work," she said.

"I commend everyone involved in creating this spectacular showpiece, which draws the community together with one goal in mind - to make our communities safer."

Mrs Roberts said the funding for projects like 'Six Feet Under' was being co-ordinated through the Office of Crime Prevention under its Community Safety and Crime Prevention Partnerships.

"I commend the City of Nedlands, police, local businesses, schools and the community for their dedication and commitment in making this project come to fruition," she said.

"It is active partnerships such as 'Six Feet Under' that effectively fight crime and make our communities safer."

nedlands is just one step away from being a ghetto.

Smoking bans by next year
A ban on smoking in enclosed public places is likely to be fast-tracked after the State Government brokered a deal with the Greens yesterday to save new anti-smoking laws in the Upper House.

After threatening to block passage of the laws, the Greens agreed to a Government proposal to bring forward a review of the smoking laws and the prospect of a ban.

The laws propose to force nightclubs from next month to stop smokers from having a puff in 80 per cent of their floor space. They propose a smoking ban by the end of 2006.

Pubs, which were to be allowed to keep one room for smokers, could be forced to comply with the same rule.

In a strange twist yesterday, the Greens voted in the Legislative Council against their own motion which would have blocked the gradual ban.

Instead, Health Minister Jim McGinty told the Greens he would commit next year to firm timelines which are likely to ban smoking in pubs and clubs and Burswood Casino's international high-rollers' room, probably by the end of 2006. He confirmed that a review on smoking in enclosed public spaces would be brought forward from 2007 to December 2005. The Government committed to implementing recommendations of the review.

"Our policy objective is to have no smoking in enclosed public spaces, including entertainment venues," Mr McGinty said. "The only question is how quickly we get to that point. Everybody is now on notice that smoking in enclosed public places has a limited life."

Greens health spokeswoman Giz Watson said the Government's concession were a victory for health, which would give certainty to the hospitality industry and its workers.

Liberal Upper House leader Norman Moore said the deal was out- rageous and meant WA's nightclubs would still be treated differently from pubs. Australian Hotels Association public affairs manager Karen Connell said the industry was confused because the Government had changed its position twice in a day without consultation.

Cabaret Owners' Association president David Wallace, owner of Metropolis nightclub in Fremantle, praised the Liberal Party for its "principled decision" which would allow fairness in the liquor industry.

He said the stance mirrored the Health Department's recommendations in its review and report to Government in January 2003.

Cancer Council tobacco program director Denise Sullivan said it was a great result.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040506/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto124461.html

Rates up to fight crime
LOCAL government councils are spending millions of dollars on security patrols to overcome police shortages, combat crime and give ratepayers peace of mind.

The City of Joondalup tops the list, spending about $1.8 million a year on private security contractors. Six cars patrol 24 hours a day.

City of Joondalup community development manager Graeme Hall said the service was funded by rates.

The City of Melville spends almost $1.6 million a year on an in-house service, employing 16 security officers to patrol the streets.

Melville City executive director for development and neighbourhood amenities, Craig McClure, said ratepayers paid an annual $35 levy for the service.

The City of Stirling spends almost $1.5 million a year on security services.

Ratepayers pay an $18 levy for a round-the-clock service.

City of Stirling spokesman Peter Beard said the council employed 21 fulltime security officers who had six patrol cars.

Mr Beard said the officers were "extra eyes and ears" for police.

"It's a visible deterrent," he said. "They don't replace the police but they work with police."

City of Wanneroo Deputy Mayor Sam Salpietro said the council spent about $1 million a year on security.

Six months ago it decided to use rangers instead of security officers.

The City of Bayswater spends $945,000 a year using a private contractor for security services. Each ratepaying household is charged about $35 a year for the service.

Bayswater Mayor Lou Magro said community concern about crime, a lack of police and poor response times prompted the move.

"We had an independent survey . . . and the response came back that 92 per cent of people indicated they would be willing to pay for the service," he said.

He said the City of Bayswater began using security officers in 1997 and was the first in the state to do so.

Up to seven patrol cars can be on the streets at one time.

The City of Canning spends $750,000 a year for its full-time service.

The council employs 17 security officers who patrol industrial, commercial and residential properties.

Councils with bigger security budgets provide a 1300 number for residents to call for attendance.

The City of Belmont spends almost $390,000 a year with a private security firm.

City of Rockingham security administrator Tim Hartland said his council spends about $47,000 a year running security patrols from November to April.

The Town of Vincent does not employ security officers but has taken on extra rangers to help with security issues and patrols.
http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,9504926%255E2761,00.html

WA can bank on Wallabies
WA will score another rugby union windfall when the Wallabies play South Africa in July.

Fans are expected to pour at least $6.5 million into the economy for the clash of the two rugby powers at Subiaco Oval on Saturday, July 31.

When the two sides last played at Subiaco in 2001, fighting out a 14-14 draw in front of a capacity crowd, more than $6 million went into the economy.

Last year WA reaped $48.1 million from the Rugby World Cup, with 18,300 interstate and overseas fans coming to the state.

Sports and Tourism Minister Bob Kucera, an avid rugby fan, said: "Every dollar that we have put into promoting rugby has been a boost for the state.

"South Africa has become a major source of skilled and business migration for WA.

"Rugby has enormous potential for the state, not just in the game but from a financial and investment point of view."

He said discussions were being held about Super 12 games being played at the new Members Equity Stadium in Perth.

He asked: "Why shouldn't the game they say is played in heaven be played in paradise – WA?"
http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,9504933%255E2761,00.html

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid115/p5d46a7e49cf6ee29f73f8bb20a633ed0/f8bcf568.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid115/p794d0f041ce99d613b28a1bba19335eb/f8bcf564.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid115/p5f6756b84de6602cc1a9c78c84666ab7/f8bcf561.jpg

Gravity Games coming to Perth
Western Australians will be treated to elite action sports competition in one of the world's leading lifestyle events in October.

Tourism Minister Bob Kucera said it would be the first time the Gravity Games had been staged outside the United States.

"Gravity Games H²O will feature 250 of the world's best action sports athletes competing in wake boarding, kite surfing and tow-in surfing right here in Western Australia," Mr Kucera said.

"There will also be a Gravity Games H²O Festival incorporating a BMX course, a skate park, rock climbing wall and other interactive opportunities."

The festival will feature leading local and national music acts on a free festival stage, and national and international acts in a ticketed concert series known as Soundwave presented by rock promoter Michael Chugg.

The Gravity Games series - including Gravity Games Summer, Gravity Games H²O and, in 2005, Gravity Games Winter - generates enormous media exposure throughout the world.

Gravity Games is owned by US broadcaster The Outdoor Life Network that has a reach in North America of more than 60million TV homes.

"The exposure for WA as a result of this event will be extremely significant and will do much to reinforce our reputation as a great destination for youth, and adventure travellers of all ages," the Minister said.

"In the lead-up to the main event there will be a Gravity Challenge for amateur extreme sports competitors from around Australia in four core events - inline vert, skateboard vert, bike vert and wakeboarding.

"The direct expenditure stemming from Gravity Games H²O is expected to be around $1.15million but the biggest impact will come from global media coverage."

Gravity Games H²O will be seen in more than 60 countries and by more than 300 million people, including key tourism markets for travel to WA - China, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia, as well as Germany, the UK, New Zealand, South Africa, Scandinavia and the Middle East

Did anyone read the article about the Bubury tower....... the top level is still empty and the state govt are footing the bill.. it seems they leased some of the tower in the WA inc days to ensure it got built :(

WA jobless rate hits 26-year low
The State's unemployment rate hit a 26-year low of 5 per cent in April as WA shared in a national jobs bonanza.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics said yesterday the national economy added 56,200 jobs in April, well above market expectations of 10,000.

The national unemployment rate remained steady at 5.6 per cent as the extra jobs were taken up by more than the usual number of new entrants to the labour market.

Strong growth in employment underscored the strength of the domestic economy.

Economists said it kept some pressure on the Reserve Bank to raise interest rates in the second half of the year.

WA's unemployment rate of 5 per cent was the lowest since 1978 and a sharp fall from the 5.5 per cent in March.

It also was the lowest among the States, though the ACT and Northern Territory had lower rates.

The number of employed people in WA rose to a new high of 993,400 in April, from 977,500 in March.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA chief economist Nicky Cusworth said the fall in the jobless rate was because of the fastest monthly growth in the number of jobs in WA since March 1993.

But she warned that the 1.6 per cent rise in the number of jobs in April from March could well be reversed in coming months.

"WA's employment grew by more than 1.5 per cent on only 10 occasions in the past 25 years, and eight of these saw employment fall in the following month," Ms Cusworth said.

Even Treasurer Peter Costello was cautious, saying the country's unemployment rate was probably as good as it could get without further reform of the labour market.

"What we do if we want to change the structure to get unemployment lower in this country is change unfair dismissal laws and improve flexibility," he said.

National Australia Bank head of market economics Tony Pearson said the firm labour market supported another interest rate rise, although it could be months away.

"The labour market is strong, housing finance approvals appear to have steadied at a high rate, the Commonwealth Budget was expansionary, global growth is providing a favourable backdrop and the Australian dollar has fallen back below US70¢," he said.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040514/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto124932-pic24319.html

Dramatic downturn in crime
DESPITE a spate of shootings, murders and domestic violence offences over the past few months, the West Australian Government is adamant the state's crime rate is falling.

Police statistics revealing an overall decrease in crime rates for the March quarter were released yesterday, just hours after the violent killing of a former bikie and a day after a shootout in a public shopping centre.

Police Minister Michelle Roberts said that although the rate of violent crime was still of concern, the figures revealed it was on the decline, along with a range of other offences including home burglaries, car theft and sexual assaults.

"For the first time we are heading in the right direction on a range of crimes," Ms Roberts said. "There have been high levels of home burglaries, high levels of car theft and seemingly not much in sight for people in this state but we are now seeing a dramatic turnaround.

"Violent crime is very concerning, though figures show that it is on the decline and I suppose you have to see things in perspective."

David Indermaur, senior research fellow with the Crime Research Centre at the University of Western Australia, said opportunities for criminals had reduced because of increased security and prevention techniques enforced by police and the community.

"I have recently been analysing crime statistics in Western Australia and they are definitely on the decrease," Dr Indermaur said.

He added, however, that "it is quite clear people don't always believe that".

"There are a number of explanations to show this phenomenon of falling crime rates ... but I think it is generally a mix of better crime prevention techniques and also changes in the official structure of crime."

Ms Roberts praised the efforts of officers who last week arrested and charged James Robert Duggan within 48 hours after the death of 19-year-old Rebecca Louise Ryle in Mindarie, in Perth's northern suburbs. The charge against him was upgraded yesterday from grievous bodily harm to wilful murder.

Ms Roberts said that crime management had improved over the years, with DNA technology and intelligence-led information changing the style of modern police work.

While the state had seen a surge of violent crimes in the last month, there had been an overall 12.4 per cent drop in the total number of reported offences from 67,400 in 2003 to 59,015 this year, with the most significant fall in home burglaries, which decreased by 22.5 per cent.

The minister said while there had been a concerted police effort to tackle home burglaries and other offences over the past year, she was confident the same level of efficiency could be maintained in the future and that Western Australia's reputation as the burglary capital would start to abate.

"For too long, Western Australia has borne the title as the burglary capital, but through the efforts of successful police operations ... I am confident we will soon be able to erase the label," Ms Roberts said. The state's police service now had access to the latest fingerprint technology and DNA profiling, resources which would be used to investigate yesterday's killing of Kevin Ashley Woodhouse - who had links to two bikie gangs - and Monday's shooting of a security guard after a jewellery store heist in Girrawheen, north of Perth.
http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,9548670%255E2761,00.html

WA's unemployment rate at record low
Premier Geoff Gallop has welcomed today's unemployment figures for Western Australia.

The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show the jobless rate for WA fell to five per cent in April. This is the lowest registered since the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Labour Force Surveys began in 1978.

Prior to this system, Dr Gallop said the last time the recorded unemployment rate was five per cent was in 1977 - Jimmy Carter was President of the USA, The Love Boat and Little House on the Prairie were top rating TV shows, Star Wars was a hit movie, ABBA's Dancing Queen was in the top ten and the Perth Football Club won their last WAFL Premiership.

"Today's results reflect the fact that our State's economy is booming," Dr Gallop said.

Western Australia's rate was also well below the national level of 5.6 per cent.

"Economic growth for WA is expected to be 6.75 per cent - the highest in almost a decade," Dr Gallop said.

"Importantly, on a quarterly basis the unemployment rate averaged 5.4 per cent for the three months to April this year."

Since February last year more than 32,000 jobs have been created in WA.

"We are well on track to meet our target of 125,000 new jobs in five years," the Premier said.

"My Government will continue to facilitate job growth as highlighted in last week's $3.9billion capital works programme for 2004-05."

City scores top marks
BUNBURY is ranked Australia's fifth most 'happening' city, according to analysis by My Business Magazine.

Our city edges ahead of places like the prestigious Coffs Harbour in New South Wales, ranked ninth, and well ahead of Geraldton, ranked 20th in terms of growth and lifestyle.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics-based report, Bunbury's best days are ahead, with the fourth fastest growing population in the country.

We match Perth when it comes to the price of goods, but have significantly better-priced office, commercial and industrial property costs, making us an attractive place to set up business.

And to top it off, we offer a great coastal lifestyle with easy access to a myriad of South West holiday destinations.

It's a message that has been enthusiastically preached by people like Bunbury Chamber of Commerce and Industry president David Kerr.

"It's not just about growth, but about the quality of that growth," he said.

"There are exciting times ahead, with projects like the Outer Harbour development, as well as extensions to existing industries like Worsley and the Inner Harbour.

"We have hardly scratched the surface of the tourism industry. We are still developing the infrastructure for it.

"Our tourism industry is evolving with things like the Outer Harbour, as well as development of a suitable entry statement for our city and the linking of tourism to our waterways."

Bunbury council chief executive officer Greg Trevaskis said the article reinforced Bunbury's status as a major regional city.

But the city could not afford to become complacent.

"We are in the top handful of Australian cities going through significant development in terms of economy and lifestyle," Mr Trevaskis said.

"Growth is never guaranteed.

"The challenge is for us to continue to grow and develop so our children can continue to live and work here, to make sure we continue to see economic development while preserving our unique lifestyle."
http://bunbury.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&story_id=305975&category=general%20news&m=5&y=2004

Lure of the Swan seduces the wealthy
The Swan River has always seduced Perth's wealthiest and most prominent families to its banks. Whether it's a grand residence in Mosman Park or a penthouse apartment in Crawley, the lure of the Swan has helped keep Perth's riverside suburbs at the top of the property game.

And it says something when WA's most high profile business people have invested in similar locations. Look at past riverfront purchasers such as Alan Bond, Laurie Connell, Yosse Goldberg, Ralph Sarich, Jack Bendat, Alistair Norwood and Tony Barlow. And today the Wyllie, Bennett, Porteous and Clough families are all within walking distance of each other in an exclusive pocket of Mosman Park.

Several multi-million-dollar sales in and around Peppermint Grove in recent weeks have highlighted the blue-ribbon appeal of these salubrious locations.

The daughter of Multiplex chief John Roberts, Denby MacGregor, has reportedly paid $6.5 million for a property in Keane Street. Denby and husband, Mrs Mac's Pie heir Robert MacGregor, have submitted plans to the Peppermint Grove Shire Council to build a three-level home, tennis court and swimming pool on the 3500sq m site.

Head of Satterley Property Group Nigel Satterley paid a record price for a Peppermint Grove property three weeks ago, securing two prime lots in View Street for a rumoured $7.5 million. Agent Willie Porteous would not confirm the selling price. "I took a very scientific approach and paid someone to compile a list of $2.5 million plus sales in suburbs from Applecross, Nedlands, Dalkeith, Claremont and through to Mosman Park . . . and it showed that there was very little value in the houses, all of the money is in the land," Mr Satterley said.

By March this year, Peppermint Grove's median house price reached $1.52 million and the Dalkeith median jumped 28 per cent in 12 months to $1.25 million.

Browne Grove & Associates agent Reg Ransom believes soaring prices in Cottesloe had resulted in a flight of buyers to Dalkeith.

He said buyers were paying $4500sq m for ocean views in Cottesloe and that had been a catalyst for people looking to Dalkeith where they could pay around $3500sq m for riverfront properties.

"People are realising that in comparison Dalkeith is undervalued and historically the proof is in the pudding," he said.

"A year ago you were paying $2800sq m for land on Jutland Parade and today you are paying $3800sq m."

Agent James Paxton, of Paxton Hoad, said the profile of riverside buyers had changed in the past two years.

"Eighteen months ago you could have said that almost 50 per cent of the top property sales were offshore," he said.

"In the last six months I would say they have been predominantly local but with the dollar looking like it is heading south again don't be surprised if
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040515/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto124985.html

Year 12 Perspectives exhibition opens
The work of Western Australia's artists of the future will be showcased at the Art Gallery of WA with the launch of the Year 12 Perspectives exhibition tonight.

Culture and Arts Minister Sheila McHale said Year 12 Perspectives provided an outstanding opportunity for some of 2003's Year 12 Art and Art and Design students.

"This exhibition is a unique opportunity for some of WA's most talented young artists to exhibit their work in the State's central gallery," Ms McHale said.
"Very few artists get such an opportunity, particularly so early in their careers.

"More than 300 submissions were received from across the State and the show is an impressive mix of media and materials, including metal sculptures and textiles, as well as paintings and computer generated imagery."

The Minister said the works depicted extremely varied ideas ranging from explorations of political events and personal challenges to celebrations of the people and places of importance to the young artists.

"All Western Australians will be enriched by our young people's vision of the future, and positively inspired by their outstanding talents," she said.

Each artwork is displayed alongside a short statement from the artist that gives viewers an insight into the inspiration behind the work.

The all-day celebrations planned for the opening of Year 12 Perspectives include DJs, street percussion, youth theatre, presentations from some of the artists whose work is on display and a free sausage sizzle.

All the works are also available for viewing online at http://www.artgallery.wa.gov.au/yr12art/ for people across the State to participate in a focal exhibition for the WA community.

Year 12 Perspectives runs from Saturday, May 15 to Sunday, August 15 and is supported by the International Foundation for Arts and Culture, Woodside Energy Limited 50th Anniversary, and the Department of Education and the Curriculum Council.

Hey chris,do you know what the all time record high price is for a home in Perth?

no bud they say this one on the river is worth about $55million

where does mr multiplex live?

quote;Dramatic downturn in crime
DESPITE a spate of shootings, murders and domestic violence offences over the past few months, the West Australian Government is adamant the state's crime rate is falling.
:rofl: uck thats funni. quote of the year!.

mr multiplex lives in the CP tower:D..nar don know

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid116/p652dbd03b957adda4121ed5c5b4f3d0a/f8a7afb8.jpg

Dog of a day for pets as well as their owners
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Dogs and their owners donned their wet weather gear and braved the rain for the RSPCA Million Paws Walk yesterday.

About 4500 people braved the cold conditions at Sir James Mitchell Park in South Perth for the RSPCA's biggest annual fundraiser. Among the umbrellas and raincoats, a range of trendy pooch wet-weather gear was on offer, with the RSPCA dog coats a popular way to keep dry.

Long hours at puppy school were being put to the test by one-year-old staffy Stella and owner Kelly Lindley, of Carlisle. Stella's puppy schoolmates, maltese shitzu cross Tonka and Tenshi, also joined in, with owner Karen White, of Como.

RSPCA spokeswoman Kelly Oversby said participant numbers were higher than last year and she expected the amount raised to be higher, too.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040517/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto125045-pic24351.html

http://www.stirling.wa.gov.au/majorProjects/scarboroughBeachSpirit/documents/Amendment%20457%20Survey.pdf
:gunz:MAKE SURE YOU DO A SUBMISSION TO SUPPORT SCARBOROUGH HIGH RISE AND GET ALL YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO DO ONE VERY VERY VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!!

Chief Executive Officer
City of Stirling
Attn: Planning Services (Amendment 457)
Reply paid 71436
Civic Place
STIRLING WA 6021

Or

Faxed to (08) 9345 8822

Or

Email: seas@stirling.wa.gov.au

Or

Complete an online submission.
http://www.stirling.wa.gov.au/majorProjects/scarboroughBeachSpirit/documents/Amendment%20457%20Survey.pdf

Please submit your completed submissions before 5:00pm Tuesday 6 July 2004 to ensure your views are heard.

City of Stirling
Civic Place
STIRLING WA 6021
www.stirling.wa.gov.au

Budget boost for community safety with new call centre
Public phone calls seeking non-emergency police assistance will be answered within 30 seconds around-the-clock.

This is the State Government's aim behind the establishment of a new $5million Police Assistance Centre (PAC) in Midland.

Announcing details of PAC today, Police Minister Michelle Roberts said the centre would play a key role in the Government's community safety program by boosting frontline policing.

"Re-equipping the Police Service with the latest technology has been a major Budget priority for our Government over the last four years," Mrs Roberts said.

"This new state-of-the-art call facility is all about creating smarter and faster policing to safeguard our communities from any kind of threat."

Mrs Roberts said police received nearly 500,000 phone calls a year seeking non-emergency assistance.

Under the current system there were different phone numbers available for the public to ask for help. When these calls were diverted some are not being answered.

"The current system is confusing and inefficient. The public have a right for all calls to be answered quickly and responded to promptly and we plan on introducing a new streamlined system to achieve this," she said.

Mrs Roberts said more than 100,000 hours - or the equivalent of nearly 50 police officers - was spent answering non-emergency calls in the metropolitan area. The new facility would have more than 50 specially trained staff with emergency skills rostered on to take the calls under the supervision of police officers.

"In addition, PAC staff will also be trained on logging incident reports which will give police more time on patrol instead of desk duties cutting into their shift," she said.

"PAC is all about putting more police officers back onto operational frontline duties, fighting crime and protecting our communities."

Mrs Roberts said the PAC would be located at the new Police Communications Centre at Midland and the system would begin taking calls in November. It would be fully operational in July next year.

"PAC is an integral part of our Government's vision for better policing which is focussed on putting the community first," she said.

Lung transplants to be done in WA
Western Australians needing lung transplants will no longer have to endure a long wait in the Eastern States, with the establishment of a lung transplant unit in Perth.

Health Minister Jim McGinty said a new $1.5million unit to be established at Royal Perth Hospital was a major plus for transplant surgery in WA.

"At present, lung transplant patients have to make an often traumatic trip to the Eastern States and wait on call 24 hours a day for a compatible lung to become available," Mr McGinty said.

"The patients and their families have to uproot their lives for months, even years.

"This is incredibly disruptive and the new unit will provide enormous benefits to patients, their partners and their families."

The average waiting time for a donor organ following approval of transplantation is about nine months, but patients can be waiting for up to two years. Unfortunately, one in five patients dies before a lung becomes available.

Mr McGinty said at least 12 patients each year would benefit from the new service and more transplants would be done as demand increased.

The cost of performing a lung transplant is between $70,000 and $100,000 per patient. WA patients awaiting surgery in Sydney or Melbourne have their expenses met by the State Government.

"Given the costs currently involved in transporting, housing and caring for the WA patients in Sydney or Melbourne, the new unit should not result in any significant additional costs to the health system," the Minister said.

The decision to establish the unit followed representations from lung transplant patients and Perth doctors.

"The time is now right for a unit to be established in WA," Mr McGinty said.

"In line with the recommendations of the Health Reform Committee, the new unit will be developed and run by doctors across the system with strong collaboration between specialists at Royal Perth and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital."

Dr Robert Larbalestier, head of the Royal Perth Hospital Transplant Unit, said it was a great decision for the people of WA who had end-stage lung disease requiring transplantation.

"It is the natural progression for the heart transplant program to provide a comprehensive thoracic organ transplant program for the State," Dr Larbalestier said.

"The heart transplant team has demonstrated how a small volume unit with a high quality dedicated team can deliver high quality results.

"We look forward to working with our colleagues in delivering a state-of-the-art service."

Mr McGinty said the new unit would be established in line with national protocols relating to lung transplantation services

Cars on candid camera
REVOLUTIONARY technology to be introduced next month will help WA police track cars that are unregistered, stolen or connected with criminals.

Mobile numberplate recognition cameras set up on major traffic routes or booze buses will feed images to a database of "vehicles of interest".

Inspector John Vivian of the Traffic Services Division said the Automatic Number Plate Recognition system identified vehicles connected with criminal activity and helped police to get them off the road quickly.

He said it would target repeat drink-drivers, unlicensed drivers, unlicensed vehicles and wanted criminals.

Police trialled the scheme earlier this year and have bought two of the systems, valued at $37,000 each.

It is expected the new program will be operating in the metropolitan area next month, on major traffic routes and booze buses.

Insp Vivian said police in the ACT and NSW already used some ANPR technology but WA would be the first to have a mobile system which could be used almost anywhere.

Police Minister Michelle Roberts said in March that the technology could work with WA's proposed new "hoon laws", which target people doing burn-outs and drag-racing.

The system will also be trialled in rural areas.

Insp Vivian said other states had already followed WA's lead and were looking to buy similar technology.

The advanced technology is credited with helping in thousands of arrests in Britain.

It can also be used for toll enforcement, but Insp Vivian said there were no plans to use it for that purpose.

Police bought the systems from Aspect Traffic in NSW.

It is expected that several more will be bought once their effectiveness has been evaluated
http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,9632364%255E2761,00.html

Room 19 rules - for now
Restaurateurs Ash and Amanda are so close to keeping their Northbridge restaurant they can taste it.

After four weeks of nominations and with the strain becoming apparent, the troops have continued to rally behind the Atwell couple, with Room 19 set to go head to head with Melbourne's Seven Stones for the prize of keeping their eatery in Channel 7's My Restaurant Rules.

On last night's show the names of the two restaurants with the highest number of votes were put into a hat with the restaurant drawn out going through to next week's final. To the relief of the Perth crew, Room 19 went through, leaving Seven Stones and Adelaide's Red Sea to sweat it out.

And it was the Red Sea, where the team has spent the week recovering from a party which left skidmarks on the kitchen floor, which was shut down.

Ash Huish said the couple were incredibly relieved but exhausted. He said the fate of the remaining three restaurants had been balanced on a knife edge and it was hard to know who would be shut over the weekend.

"The last four weeks of nominations just killed us," he said.

The restaurant needed West Australians and their relatives and friends in other States to get behind Room 19 now more than ever.

"It feels like WA is 110 per cent behind us," he said. "I can understand if voter fatigue is kicking in but it is for the big prize now, so hopefully they will get behind us.

"Ring your friends and family and thank them for supporting us and ask if they could do it one more time. We need votes in Adelaide, Queensland and Sydney. Votes from interstate help us big time."
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040524/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto125431.html

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Parking can be a credit
Paying for parking by credit card is now an option at many City of Perth Parking (CPP) outlets.

In recent weeks, credit card facilities have been progressively installed for convenience of commuters and other customers.

Ticket machines at all outdoor car parks and selected multi-storey car parks will now accept Visa, Mastercard and Bankcard.

Those multi-storey car parks are: Elder Street, Regal Place and Mayfair Street.

Credit cards can also be used, over the counter, at staffed off-street multi-storey car parks.
http://www.perth.wa.gov.au/html/org10_.php?title=Parking+can+be+a+credit&date=2004-05-24

Pinjarra boy beats Delta to top of pops
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John Butler, the Pinjarra-raised hippie and roots musician, beat glamour girl Delta Goodrem to lift the Australasian Performing Rights Association Song of the Year Award at Melbourne's Regent Theatre last night.

Butler's Zebra, a late inclusion on his No.1 album Sunrise Over Sea was written while bouncing his baby daughter Banjo to sleep.

The track won the title ahead of songs from Goodrem, Silverchair, Jet and The Waifs. The award is the biggest peer-voted award in Australia, with 14,000 songwriters eligible to vote.

Butler is the first independent songwriter to win the Song of the Year award. His music is released by the Perth-based Jarrah Records label, which is also home to Albany folk group The Waifs.

Butler said the best song nomination had been like a big pat on the back from his peer musicians.

"That's pretty cool," he said.

"It tells me I might be doing something halfway decent.

"The basis of music is a song and a Continued on page 3Winning words come from the heart

songwriter. It would be great if this could be an inspiration to other musicians.

"When you follow your heart good things will happen."

He said he did not see himself in competition with the other nominations. "I'm up amongst them, not up against, them," he said. "Once you've been nominated there's no best, we've all won it."

Goodrem took out the APRA Breakthrough Award, which recognises the talent of emerging com- posers. The five members of Brisbane band Powderfinger won the Songwriter of the Year award, while veteran jazz musician Don Burrows was honoured with the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music.

The awards were attended by old hands and hot acts, including Lee Kernaghan, Spiderbait, Killing Heidi, Tim Freedman and Magic Dirt.

Industry guru and Popstars judge Molly Meldrum said songwriting was still the key to the music industry, even in the age of Popstars and Idols.

"If you don't have a good song, no matter how good a singer you are you won't have a hit," he said.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040525/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto125494-pic24459.html

Migration figures a vote of confidence in Western Australian economy
Migration figures released today show that people are migrating to Western Australia at a rate second only to Queensland.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics report shows that WA recorded net migration of 19,208 (0.99 per cent) during 2003. Queensland was the fastest growing Australian State, experiencing net migration growth of 1.63 per cent during the same period.

State Development Minister Clive Brown said the figures were a vote of confidence in the WA economy.

"The State's economy is the fastest growing and best performing State economy in Australia," the Minister said.

"Not only are we experiencing record levels of business investment, but we are becoming known around the world as a high quality exporter of natural resources, services and high value-added products.

"With word getting around about the remarkable turnaround in the WA economy over the last three years, it is no surprise to me that people are voting with their feet and moving here for the jobs and opportunities being created.

"With the vast majority of our new Western Australians coming from overseas, the WA economy will get a further boost as they begin to invest and make themselves at home in this State."

Mr Brown said current growth rates would see WA's population pass two million before Christmas this year.

Following negative growth in 2000-01, the economy had rebounded strongly under the Gallop Government, recording strong growth in 2001-02, 02-03 and 03-04.

Projects worth $32billion were currently planned or under way in WA, including the $6billion Gorgon gas development, the $1.6billion Woodside expansion, the $1.4billion Ravensthorpe nickel project, the $630million Burrup Fertilisers project, Alcoa's $400million Pinjarra alumina upgrade and the $400million HIsmelt project in Kwinana.

The Government had worked hard to secure each of these projects for the benefit of all Western Australians, providing infrastructure, project facilitation and international marketing support

$500m lift to northern suburbs
A $500 million New Living program is breathing life into some of Perth's Homeswest-dominated northern suburbs.

The project, a partnership between the Department of Housing and Works and Satterley McCusker Holdings, has refurbished 700 houses in Balga, Westminster, Girrawheen and Koondoola.

All have been sold to private buyers.

Aimed at reducing the high concentration of public housing, the project also includes the enhancement of entry statements, streetscape upgrades, traffic-calming measures and rejuvenating public open spaces.

A further 110 vacant lots have been sold and 300 dwellings refurbished and retained by Homeswest.

Brook Harvey and Peter Denman moved into the New Living Project's 1000th refurbished house last week.

"We wanted to buy north of the river and we were keen to have a back yard," Ms Harvey said.

"Many units in our price range were located upstairs with no yard at all.

"This unit was excellent value for money and the beauty is that there is not a lot left to do as there are already floor coverings, it has been painted and the front yard is beautifully landscaped."

At the start of the project, Homeswest had a rental presence of about 30 per cent in the area.

That figure will settle to about 12 per cent over the term of the project.

Local MP Margaret Quirk said the State Government recognised that owning a home was a dream for many West Australians and that the project had been a huge success.

"Crime rates have dropped by 15.8 per cent and real estate values in Girrawheen alone have increased by 23.9 per cent over the past year," she said.

According to the Real Estate Institute of WA, Girrawheen's median house price rose a steady 5 per cent to $145,000 in the March quarter 2004.

"The suburb has been revitalised both aesthetically and in terms of community spirit," she said.

New projects are soon to commence in Queens Park and Southwell and there are eight country projects under way in major regional centres
http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,9691454%255E2761,00.html

Festival will take sports to extremes
THE world's biggest extreme sports event – broadcast to 300 million people in nearly 100 countries – will be staged in WA in October.

It will be the first time the Gravity Games, featuring 250 elite big-wave surfers, kitesurfers and wakeboarders, are being held outside the US.

Games events will take place at Margaret River, on the Swan River and at Cottesloe.

"We chose Perth because it is a city that has a great synergy with the water and superlative surfing," said John Alwyn-Jones of Octagon, the international sports management company organising the event.

"It's an environment where outdoors sports are part of life – something that's not true for many modern cities in the world."

Work will begin late in August on construction of a "festival village" at Burswood, incorporating a BMX course, a skate park and a rock- climbing wall.

The games will be accompanied by a separate-ticket series of rock concerts organised by promoter Michael Chugg, who represents internationally successful WA acts Eskimo Joe and The Sleepy Jackson as well as The Who and The Offspring. Most recently he organised tours by Robbie Williams and Coldplay.

The event will be broadcast in America on the Outdoor Life Network, which has 60 million subscribers, and in Europe on Eurosport, which has an audience reach of nearly 98 million, and via a range of free-to-air and satellite channels in China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Africa and the Middle East.

Tourism Minister Bob Kucera said he expected the games to generate an initial $1.15 million for the state "but the biggest impact will come from global media coverage".

"The exposure for WA as a result of this event will be extremely significant and will do much to reinforce our reputation as a great destination for youth and adventure travellers of all ages," he said.

He said the Margaret River surfers would be towed into the big waves by jet-ski, with the footage shown on screens at the festival village.

Octagon wants to sign up a number of local surfers including Margaret River's Damon Eastaugh, who won the $20,000 Oakley/ASL Biggest Wave Award this year for riding a 10.2m wave off Margaret River.

The games will take place from October 14 to 17.
http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,9691496%255E2761,00.html

no dole for us students pledge
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BALGA Senior High School has shown that zero per cent youth unemployment is not an impossible goal.

This month more than 50 Year 10 students signed a charter pledging they would not go on the dole next year.

It is the second year the school's Year 10 students have made the pledge.

Every one of 2003's Year 10 leavers has since secured employment or continued studying.

The success is a massive turnaround from the previous year, when less than half the school's leavers found work.

In an area high in youth unemployment in Perth's northeastern suburbs, it is considered a remarkable achievement.

One reason for the success has been a scheme the school introduced last year to move youngsters away from welfare and towards employment or training.

Principal Merv Hammond said the key to the success of the No Dole project was the students' commitment to the pledge and local business support.

"There has been a tremendous shift in thinking," he said.

"I have been at Balga for 10 years and this year we have got 10 indigenous kids in Year 11 and I don't think we've ever had that sort of response before." Mr Hammond said the school helped students who wanted to leave school form relationships with local businesses.

"We look at the student's future over the next five years, not just the next five months," he said.

Balga Senior High School is one of five WA schools to introduce the program, following nine years of success in Tasmania.

The No Dole project is run by not-for-profit youth advocacy organisation Beacon Foundation.

Beacon chief executive Scott Harris said the program had been established in 42 schools across Australia, most of which enjoyed a 100 per cent success rate.

"The No Dole concept is about taking out the dole as an option in the mindsets of young people," he said.

Mr Harris said Year 10s were the target group because it was the last year of compulsory school.

About 45,000 Year 10 students in Australia are expected to go straight on to the dole this year.

"Our role is to really bring the community together and stand behind young people and assist them," Mr Harris said.

The Beacon Foundation has proved so successful it is starting to influence the way state and federal governments approach youth unemployment.

Mr Harris said Labor leader Mark Latham's "learning or earning" policy was based on the same philosophy as the No Dole project.
http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,9691501%255E2761,00.html

Curtin University may freeze HECS fees
Curtin University in Western Australia has signalled it may reject the opportunity to raise Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) fees by up to 25 per cent.

A decision by the University of Western Australia (UWA) will see its students pay an extra 25 per cent from next year, prompting protests from student guilds.

Curtin University vice chancellor Lance Twomey says many Curtin students already face significant financial challenges.

He will recommend against any fee hike at the university council meeting late next month.

Curtin Student Guild education vice president David Goncalves welcomes the news and says it is a recommendation that seems to have been made for the right reasons.

"It is good to see that the university administration has based their decision on the actual reality that students have to face, not just about them being greedy or wanting more money," he said.

"It's great to see [that Curtin] University has looked at the realities of the hardships that students have to face.

"Unfortunately UWA might believe that they can buy their reputation by increasing fees by 25 per cent but what they ended up doing was disenfranchising their own students."

Other universities are still considering possible increases
http://www.abc.net.au/wa/news/200405/s1118674.htm

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##Have A Look Back On The Last Page For Alot Of New Articles##

My Restaurant Rules – The result
IF you do not want to know the result do not open this story.

PERTH'S reality restaurant – Room Nineteen – rules.

The Northbridge eatery survived five eliminations to take out the prize in Channel Seven's popular series My Restaurant Rules.

Family and friends of co-owners Ash Huish and Amanda Thomas gathered at the Lake St restaurant last night.

Burly security guards kept members of the public out but at 11pm, some media outlets were allowed in for the announcement.

Only The Sunday Times was locked out.

But a massive cheer could be heard from outside, where a large group of about 70 well-wishers had gathered in the freezing cold.

Host Curtis Stone arrived at 11.20pm and told the waiting crowd he was in Perth to hand over the keys to winning couple.

Room Nineteen beat out stiff competition from Melbourne's restaurant Seven Stones which was run by Peter Georgas and Tayissa Stel.

Also at Room Nineteen were the losing couples from Adelaide Nick Du Bois and Emily Worthington and Sydney siblings Sam and Catherine Sgambellone.

Bisbane's controversial couple Natalie Prigoone and Simon Grigalius were in Melbourne to lend their support to Seven Stones.
http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,9697203%255E2761,00.html


Room Nineteen serves up a winner
Ash Huish and Amanda Thomas have delivered WA's first slice of reality-TV success by winning hit Channel 7 show My Restaurant Rules with their posh Northbridge diner, Room Nineteen,

The Atwell couple toasted their success with champagne yesterday by announcing: "We're here to stay. People say we're going to fail. Good luck to them.

"If we're broke by Christmas we've had the time of our lives and met some amazing people and have no regrets. But we don't intend to be broke by Christmas."

They thanked head chef Iain Lawless and floor manager Judy Iemma who fashioned their dream of five-star cuisine for Northbridge's pizza and pasta palate.

Room Nineteen's mix of TV fame and fondue warmed thousands towards the nightlife district which was then on Perth's social backburner.

The couple oversaw up to 12,000 patrons usually in two-hour queues, sweetened by takings of $500,000 in eight weeks, the biggest money-spinner in the program.

Ash, 26, and Amanda, 25, are now Australia's best known restaurateurs - their only previous relevant experience was wine rep Amanda's work in a fish and chip shop.

The engaged couple celebrated their success by announcing their nuptials on June 19. Nineteen is for their restaurant and June denotes six, being vote six for Perth. "We may have to go on honeymoon next year," Ash said in a deadpan voice.

Victory also brings them one million Diners Club points - enough for two round-the-world tickets. Foodie Ash wants to try Paris but Amanda fancies "cosmo" New York.

But for now, they are entrepreneurs. Ash, a third-generation wharfie turned mechanical engineering student, is serious. The fitout for the restaurant is worth $250,000 alone. Stir in the awesome takings and its potential is at boiling point.

"I'm not going to spill champagne on the carpet - it costs $400 to clean," Ash said during celebrations.

The cork hit the polystyrene cutouts on the ceiling and he lamented: "They cost $1000 to put up. Would you believe it? It took me and a mate 14 hours to do it."

So what lessons have they learned? Ash, a horseflesh fan, says learn to back yourself: "One of the judges told us we were not for the hospitality industry and we wouldn't survive. We were no good. Our ideas wouldn't work. Our fondue wouldn't take off. If we'd listened to them, we wouldn't be here."

Room Nineteen beat Melbourne's Seven Stones eatery run by Peter Georgas, 25, and Tayissa Stel, 24.

The program concept will be sold overseas
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040531/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto125816.html

Reefs will be hot property
WA could become the last place on Earth to have coral reefs, according to a world expert.

Global warming and other factors are expected to wipe out coral around the globe in the next 20 to 50 years. But WA's isolation and relatively low population is expected to delay the damage to prized reefs such as Ningaloo.

Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, a Queensland scientist who leads the argument that climate change presents the biggest threat to the world's coral reefs, said high ocean temperatures in 1998 had killed off almost half the coral in the Indian Ocean.

Experts predicted ocean temperatures would rise by between 2C and 6C. The 2C increase of 1998 had caused massive damage but a 6C rise would be "catastrophic".

There was no reliable data to indicate that coral could adapt to the higher temperatures that destroyed algae – coral's primary food source, Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said.

Global warming had a far greater impact on coral than disturbances such as over fishing or the March 2004 cyclone that pushed car-sized boulders from the ocean floor on to Scott Reef, north of Broome.

The professor worked with economists from the World Bank and climate-modelling experts to predict that coral deaths would see the Queensland tourism industry lose $8 billion. He warned that WA tourism could face similar losses.

"We have some of the best reefs in the world," he said.

"Our special advantage is that people will travel from other countries to see them.

"If you took the pristine values away then people in the US, for example, would start to ask why they should come here when they could more easily go to the Caribbean or Mexico."

He said the Federal Government should accept that climate change posed a major threat and lead a global push to alternative fuel use.

Meanwhile, the Conservation Council has urged the State Government to finalise land- clearing regulations in light of increasing threats to ecosystems and endangered species.

A Biodiversity Conservation Act was pledged in 2001 and a public consultation paper released in 2002 but there has been nothing since.

"Any further delays in this legislation could result in the permanent loss of plants and animals that are found nowhere else in the world," director Chris Tallentire said.
http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,9691489%255E2761,00.html

Graduates return favour
The biggest names in Perth's corporate community have united behind ambitious plans to boost the financial muscle and international profile of WA's oldest business school.

The University of Western Australia's Business School, which originated as the Faculty of Economics in 1954, is preparing to mount a major fundraising campaign aimed at attracting the cream of international academic staff and augment funding for a new $30 million-plus complex at the southern end of UWA.

The business school board and its fundraising committee hope to tap a growing philanthropic spirit in WA's business community through a range of initiatives, including the sale of the naming rights to the business school. They are also looking to harness and expand the business school's alumni organisation, the Graduate Management Association, into the kind of established fundraising and networking body more typically seen in US ivy league colleges.

The fundraising committee is chaired by Alinta and Home Building Society chairman Tony Howarth, with Poynton & Partners co-founder Mark Barnaba, who is also chairman of the business school board, as his deputy.

Mr Barnaba is preparing to launch a new corporate advisory firm with fellow Business School director John Poynton, a director of Multiplex and Austal, who has himself been charged with selling the naming rights.

Other fundraising committee members include Ed Tait, until recently the WA head of Macquarie Bank, and British Airways chief executive Rod Eddington, who will be spearheading the fundraising efforts among alumni in London. A New York cell is also being developed.

The school board is rounded out by burns specialist and Clinical Cell Culture founder Dr Fiona Wood, former Woodside boss John Akehurst, newly anointed Wesfarmers boss-to-be Richard Goyder and Multiplex chief executive Andrew Roberts.

Poynton & Partners director Tracey Horton is acting as a consultant to the vice chancellor and business school board, while the National Museum of Australia's former manager of sponsorship and development, Rhonda Flottman, has been hired to spearhead the fundraising.

Wesfarmers chief executive Michael Chaney is patron of the Graduate Management Association.

The new building ideally will be completed in early 2007 - a project manager has been named and architects are soon to be appointed - while the fundraising push will be officially launched some time next year. The committee is still working through fundraising targets and strategies.

But the new initiatives are already being spoken of as part of a renaissance of sorts for the venerable institution, which, like all university bodies, is looking for ways to grow despite increasingly tight government funding.

"This is a big project," says Dr Paul McLeod, dean of the business school.

"If you want to achieve all this you need an ongoing relationship with the business community.

''That's why we were very keen to have a business school board, why we were very keen to have alumni involved and why we were very keen to have, in our fundraising context, many business people involved - and in most cases they are alumni."

Dr McLeod says that while UWA has its pick of top high school graduates, the competition for post-grads is much more fierce as they are more willing and able to travel interstate, overseas or even do their degrees online.

"The competition is difficult when you get to that level, so you need packages incorporating scholarships backed up by first-rate facilities and first rate staff," he says.

"Those types of things are very difficult to do with total reliance on government funding or fees."

Those involved in the project believe UWA's Business School has the potential to be among the very top schools of its kind in the region - if it can harness the considerable talents and resources of its graduates and the wider WA business community.

"It will take the business community and the alumni to get behind it," Mr Howarth says.

"But the more that I deal with the university, and the more that I deal with business, the more it convinces me that we can do these sorts of things."

Mr Howarth is keen to emphasise the benefits to WA of a strong business school. "For business to be successful you need access to first class graduates," he says.

Dr McLeod and the board believe that renowned international staff, a first-class facility and an active alumni network are essential if UWA is to entice more WA post-grads and attract more overseas students. They say this then creates flow-on benefits for the State, including the advantages of having business and industry leaders study and build links in WA.

drop The project, according to its proponents, underlines the importance of the alumni and the concept of philanthropy. Those involved in the fundraising efforts say they are doing so partly because the business school as an institution has served them well.

"UWA has been very good to me," Mr Barnaba says.

"I got a very good scholarship which allowed me to go directly to Harvard . . . I do feel that more than just my career, that a lot of good things that happened stemmed from having a good education. I feel a real tie to the school."

Mr Chaney says his MBA from UWA facilitated a 180-degree career switch from science to investment banking. "It allowed me to perform much better in the commercial world," he says.

Mr Poynton hopes that the buyer of the naming rights to the business school will set an example by emphasising the benefits of philanthropy, which he believes is "very underdone" in Australia.

He says that in WA there are "one or two companies and a few individuals" who do what they can for charitable causes. "What we really need to do is broaden that out," he says
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040529/business/tw-business-home-sto125720.html

WA's DNA database leads other states in numbers
Western Australian crime fighters are ahead of their interstate counterparts in terms of the size of DNA databases.

Police Minister Michelle Roberts says Path-Centre's new million-dollar forensic facility, which deals with DNA profiles, will process another 20,000 samples this year to add to the 34,000 already on the database.

New South Wales has 21,000 while Victoria has only 6,000.

Mrs Roberts says there have been high-profile success stories, including the conviction of armed robber Leon Sutcliffe after the discovery of his DNA on a radio transmitter.

"We have also solved some long-unsolved crimes, there was a rape case in Port Hedland some 13 years ago and because we uploaded a DNA profile from a prisoner at Roebourne Prison we were able to solve that crime too," she said.

New power station to provide peak period back-up
The State Government's planning to meet future energy needs took a major step forward today, with work starting on a new 260megawatt power station at Kemerton, south of Perth.

Energy Minister Eric Ripper said the $260million privately owned power station would provide energy to Western Power at times of peak demand - starting in summer 2005-06.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the start of work, Mr Ripper said the new power station would give Western Australians confidence that Western Power was better prepared for spikes in energy demand.

"Western Power has negotiated a 25-year agreement with the owner, Transfield Services, to provide vital back-up in summer and winter, when energy demand soars, so that household and industry needs can be met at all times," he said.

The Minister said the new power station was an important part of the Government's plans to expand and modernise power generation in Western Australia.

"Electricity generation infrastructure is critical to maintaining strong economic growth and that means new jobs and opportunities for Western Australians," he said.

"About 400 people will be employed directly or indirectly in the 14-month construction phase and Australian content and local contractors will be used wherever possible."

Mr Ripper said the new power station was expected to be operating by October, 2005.

Kemerton was well located on the existing high voltage transmission interconnection between the major generators at Collie and the major metropolitan load centres.

Western Power would now focus its efforts on planning for a further 330MW of new baseload power generation to meet expected energy demand from 2008.

The new generating capacity was in addition to the $300million Cockburn power station completed last year.

The Minister said the Government had a long-term plan to replace ageing power stations with modern, efficient and reliable generating plant.

"Our goal is to guarantee long-term security and reliability of electricity supply with a balance of gas and coal fired generation and for that to occur, we need to replace ageing plant with advanced, efficient equipment," he said

$80million regional fund commitment a boost for tourism sector
Regional Tourism is a big winner from the Gallop Government's decision to renew the Regional Investment Fund (RIF) with $80million over the next four years.

Regional Development Minister Tom Stephens said tourism-related projects had attracted about a quarter of the $64million allocated from the initial $75million fund.

"Tourism operators in regional areas should be looking for new opportunities to work in partnership with the Government using RIF programs," Mr Stephens said.

"So far more than $16million of the RIF funds has been allocated to 187 projects including significant amounts towards important infrastructure and initiatives."

The Minister said some major allocations included:

-Shark Bay World Heritage Interpretive Centre - $5million
-Regional Tourism Markets Recovery Fund - $3million
-development of the historic town of Cossack - $1.3million
-assistance for Fairbridge Redevelopment Program - $1.2million
-Collie Motorplex - $750,000
-Derby Airport enhancement - $600,000
-Yongergnow Malleefowl Visitor and Interpretive Centre (Ongerup)
$500,000
-Busselton Jetty Underwater Observatory - $500,000.

"RIF also contributed more than $80,000 towards regional Western Australia's prize winning display at Japan's premier garden exhibition Pacific Flora - which runs from April to October this year," Mr Stephens said.

"The display of native flora is attracting more than 30,000 visitors each day, creating an enormous opportunity for regional tourism operators."

We have also helped meet the cost of signage and facilities for self-drive tourist trails in the Goldfields-Esperance, Gascoyne and Mid-West Regions.

"Smaller amounts have helped a range of projects from a tourist railway in Kojonup in the Great Southern to a bus service on the Dampier Peninsular near Broome," the Minister said.

He said regional tourism operators and local governments should seize all opportunities to work in partnership with the State Government to develop tourist infrastructure and initiatives

New bulk billing medical centres
Two new after hours bulk billing medical centres have been opened as part of a joint Commonwealth-State initiative to improve access to medical care in Western Australia.

The two centres, adjacent to the Royal Perth and Fremantle hospital emergency departments, opened today. Another centre is scheduled to open next to the Joondalup Health Campus next month and a fourth clinic is expected to open adjacent to Rockingham-Kwinana District Hospital in July.

Western Australian Health Minister Jim McGinty said the four centres would relieve pressure on emergency departments by treating patients with minor injuries and illnesses or exacerbated chronic conditions.

"Thousands of people every year are treated at emergency departments across the metropolitan area when they could easily have been treated by a GP," Mr McGinty said.

"This new initiative ensures patients continue to receive the appropriate level of care while reducing the burden on our hospitals."

The centres are part of a constructive partnership between the WA and Australian Governments. Under the agreement, the Australian Government has ensured that all patients attending the clinics will be bulk billed under Medicare. The Australian Government also provided $200,000 toward establishment costs.

"The Commonwealth Government is spending $4billion over five years to strengthen Medicare and to make health more affordable for Australians," Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott said.

"These new clinics will mean more bulk billing for the residents of Perth and Fremantle because every patient that is treated in these clinics will be bulk billed through Medicare.

"The clinics would not have been established without the support of the State Government and they would not be able to operate without the support of local doctors and the divisions of general practice.

"It is pleasing to see this partnership now delivering better health services for local residents."

Mr McGinty said last year more than 300,000 people presented at metropolitan emergency departments in WA."

"Health audits show that up to 86,000 of these patients could have been managed in a general practice setting," Mr McGinty said.

"The bulk billing medical centres will help reduce bed blocking and waiting times in the emergency departments of our busiest hospitals."

The State Government had committed $5.9million to fund the clinics until 2005-06.

The service would be offered to patients who present themselves at an emergency department or contacted the 24-hour health advice line HealthDirect.

Doctors from the General Practice Divisions of WA would operate the centres with the support of registered nurses. The centres would be open from 6pm to 10pm on weekdays, noon to 10pm on Saturdays and 10am to 10pm on Sunday.

The clinics were an integral part of the State Government's strategy to relieve pressure on hospital emergency departments. Other initiatives included:

a $20 million allocation to open 332 extra hospital beds across metropolitan hospitals;
$22million to upgrade hospital emergency departments;
$34.7million for St John Ambulance to put more ambulances on the road and employ 100 new staff; and
Recruitment of 1,125 more full-time salaried nurses in public hospitals since 2001.

City of Fremantle encourages retailers to use plastic bag alternatives
AS PART of the City of Fremantle’s strategy to become a plastic bag free city by 2008, it is encouraging retailers to make the change from plastic bags to a more environmentally-friendly alternative.

The strategy aims to stop the use of both high-density polyethylene and low-density polyethylene bags – HDPE bags are mainly used in supermarkets, takeaways outlets and service stations while LDPE bags are used in places such as department, clothing and shoe stores.

City of Fremantle Environmental Planner Caroline Raphael said several Fremantle businesses, including Kakulas, Bunnings, Soul Sister, Home Provedore, Bob’s Shoe Store, the Salvation Army, Coles, Woolworth’s and the FAL group, were already working on reducing plastic bag use with excellent results.

“There are a number of alternatives available, such as paper bags, calico bags and polypropylene bags, while some businesses such as Coles and Woolworth’s have also introduced recycling facilities for plastic bags,” she said.

“Other businesses have brought in a levy for plastic bags to help discourage their use – Bunnings O’Connor reduced the number of bags it gave out by 94 per cent after it introduced a levy.

“The City of Fremantle is continuing to work with a number of people and organisations, through the Plastic Bag Free City Working Alliance, to help make this initiative a reality.”
http://www.freofocus.com/news/html/plastic_bag.cfm


Smokers can add kidneys to worry list
Kidney damage leading to dialysis or even death is a danger from smoking that most people do not realise, according to a health advocacy group.

Kidney Health Australia chief executive Anne Wilson said a recent study commissioned by the group found a link between smoking and the risk of damage to kidneys.

Ms Wilson said smoking affected kidneys as much as any other organ because toxins from cigarette smoke travelled wherever blood was pumped.

Kidneys were susceptible because they cleansed the blood of toxins from the air people breathed.

Ms Wilson said kidney damage had an impact on people's lifestyles, careers and emotional health because it was debilitating.

"If your kidneys aren't functioning and you are in end-stage renal failure, unless you go on dialysis within 36 hours, you die," Ms Wilson said.

"We call kidney disease the silent killer because you can lose up to 90 per cent of kidney function before you are even feeling sick.

"In Australia right now, one person a week dies of kidney disease while waiting for a kidney transplant.

"The average wait for a transplant is four years and in some cases it is up to eight."

Ms Wilson urged authorities to put labels on cigarette packets warning of the risk of kidney damage from smoking.

She said the best way to prevent kidney damage was not to smoke, eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly.

A spokeswoman for Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott said it was well known that smoking affected most organs in the body and kidney damage warnings would set a precedent for warnings about damage to other organs.

The Government was in the process of adding more graphic warnings to cigarette packets, she said.

The Kidney Health Australia warning was to mark World No Tobacco Day today, a big drive to urge smokers to quit the habit.

A Department of Health survey to be released today shows that 54 per cent of the respondents who changed their smoking behaviour did so because of the cost.

According to the survey, smokers spend up to $3500 a year on cigarettes.

Over 1500 West Australians and 19,000 Australians die each year from cigarette smoking.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040531/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto125824.html

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Perth: The best things in life are free after all
It was a warm Saturday morning on the "cappuccino strip" of Fremantle, a port town about 20 minutes from Perth's central business district.

As people breakfasted at sidewalk cafes, three men walked by. Nothing about them was unusual, but their slow gait -- and the pack of kretek (clove) cigarettes one was holding -- was a giveaway: Indonesian tourists in Perth.

Fremantle is favored by tourists. It has everything, from an exciting history, good souvenir shops and a great atmosphere. Freo, as it is known by locals, is "alternative", hip and artsy.

But it hasn't always been that way.

Fremantle was founded in 1829 as a port for Britain's fledgling Swan River colony in Western Australia. The years between 1850 and 1868 saw the arrival of convicts, who later built structures like the Fremantle prison, an insane asylum and the first bridge over the river in Fremantle.

These buildings remain intact and can now be toured almost every day of the year. The asylum is now the Fremantle History Museum and is said to have a resident ghost. The prison, which was decommissioned as an operating jail in 1991, was opened to the public in 1992.

Colonial landmarks are not the only attraction in Fremantle. Indigenous Australian and contemporary art galleries, museums and organized tours abound. These include Indigenart art gallery, the Army Museum, the Maritime Museum, Fremantle Aboriginal heritage trail, Fremantle historic walking tours and Fremantle Prison night tours.

Then there is eating in Fremantle. According to the local government authority, 1977 was the year when local coffee shop Papa Luigi's introduced al fresco dining, starting what is now the trendy "cappuccino strip".

Along this strip and nearby alleyways are some of the best eateries in Perth and its surrounds. Italian fare is perhaps the most common in the area, with tight competition forcing establishments to outperform each other.

At one end of the cappuccino strip are the Fremantle Markets, located in a large warehouse-like structure built in 1898 and full of stalls selling beautiful knickknacks. It's a heaven for souvenir-shopping.

The year 1984 was perhaps the biggest turning point for Fremantle, when major restoration and gentrification works transformed the working-class port town into a hub for all things hip and funky.

The year before, local businessman Alan Bond and ship builder Ben Lexon had won the America's Cup, arguably the greatest sailing competition in the world. The victory meant Fremantle would be hosting the America's Cup competition four years later. During these four years, the local government organized a thorough, cosmetic face-lift to make the town more attractive.

Australia lost the cup in the championships held in 1986-87, but for Fremantle it was a victory nonetheless, as millions of dollars came in over just a few months.

Further up the Swan River is the Western Australian capital of Perth. Like Fremantle and other older cities in Western Australia, Perth's history is very much linked to the arrival of Europeans in the region between the 17th and 19th centuries. This is despite the fact that Australian Aborigines -- the original inhabitants of the land -- had roamed Australia for more than 50,000 years and traded with seafaring Indonesians during that time.

The first Europeans to sight Western Australia were Dutch explorers who charted the land during their trips to the Indonesian Spice Islands. Later, in 1827, English Captain James Stirling decided the area was appropriate for a settlement. In 1829, the Swan River colony was established.

The Western Australian Museum is a good place for the historically-inclined tourist to know more about Western Australia's land, people and nature. For more depth, visit the art gallery and state library next door.

Perth is also modern and multicultural. Within walking distance from the museum is the train station, the central business district, the city's main shopping precinct and dozens of eateries, particularly around Northbridge where Asian fare is predominant.

Galleries, movie theaters and theaters near Northbridge and the central train station have a steady flow of exhibitions, performances and shows. Currently these include La Boheme at His Majesty's Theatre, Music Viva-Jerusalem Quartet at the Perth Concert Hall, the WA Police Pipe Band at Forrest Place and Buddha's Birthday Festival at the Supreme Court Gardens, to name just a few.

About 10 minutes away from the city center are the Perth Zoo, the 400-hectare King's Park & Botanical Gardens, the Bell Tower on the Swan River foreshore and Scitech Discovery Center for the kids and young-at-heart.

Further up along the Swan River, about 25 minutes from the city center, is the quaint town of Guildford which lies in the heart of the Swan Valley.

Guildford was established by Captain James Stirling as the rural center of the new Swan River colony at the same time Fremantle was designated as the colony's port town and Perth as its administrative center. Guildford represented the upper limit of navigation on the Swan River; it was also fertile enough for agriculture.

As areas east of Perth were opened up, Guildford became an important transportation center, with boats bringing in settlers and farmland supplies, and taking out farm produce to the city. From around 1850, convict labor improved the roads from Perth, allowing travel by road from Fremantle, via Perth and Guildford, to the new eastern regions.

The Kalgoorlie gold rush in the 1890's attracted immigrants -- from overseas as well as from Australia's eastern coast -- to Western Australia. Many of them settled down in the region, causing a surge in the new colony's population.

Guildford's importance declined by the early 1900's with the construction of the railway line to the neighboring town of Midland. But its quaint buildings and English heritage architecture remain, along with its fertile land which now sustains dozens of vineyards and pastures.

There are more than 80 vineyards, restaurants and breweries located along the 32-km Swan Valley drive north of Guildford. No trip is complete without having a go at wine tasting in the region. Each vineyard prides itself of its own label, which is often sold exclusively on-site.

Guildford is minutes away from Whiteman Park, which features children's playgrounds, barbecue areas and walk trails in a bushland setting. Caversham Wildlife Park, which is also close by, is a favorite for tourists who want to see and touch native Australian wildlife.

For a sample of Western Australian scenery, a visit to Yanchep, John Forrest, Serpentine, Walyunga or Avon Valley National Park, is essential.

At Yanchep, visitors can interact with, and get a glimpse of local Aboriginal culture and lifestyle when Aborigines from the Nyoongar tribe share their stories and conduct didgeridoo and dance performances. At Walyunga, visitors can go on an easy 1.2 km Aboriginal heritage trail and learn about Aboriginal myths and legends.

All national parks are within a 30-minute to one-hour drive from Perth's city center.

Western Australia has a coastline measuring 12,500 km, most of which take the form of lovely sun-drenched beaches. A visit to Perth is incomplete without at least seeing one beach. Cottesloe Beach, about 20 minutes from the city center, is arguably the prettiest around Perth. Scarborough and Trigg are good surfing beaches, whereas Floreat and City are better for swimming and paddling.

Many cafes and restaurants can be found around Cottesloe and Scarborough, but they are few and far between on the other beaches. But don't be discouraged: Perth is dotted with hundreds of parks that have lush green grass, shady trees, children's playgrounds and barbecue facilities, so picnics are the way to go.

Perth is a lovely place where troubles are few and the best things in life are free. The best times to visit would be around March-May and September-November, but if you're beach inclined, come in December-February when the weather is hottest and sunbathing (with lots of sunscreen) is coolest.

It's six hours from Jakarta and there's an allowable limit of one carton of kretek cigarettes. What more could you ask for?
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Perth in vogue with the Seine thinkers
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Has Perth shrugged off its tag as being a remote and backward city, emerging as the new Paris?

Style bible Australian Vogue poses this question on why all things Perth are in. Overnight we have gone from daggy to divine.

Its June edition says: "Western Australia is hot. And as if synchronised, a brilliant bunch of talent from designers and models to painters, musicians and architects is taking the world by storm."

Models such as Gemma Ward and Nicole Trunfio are making their mark internationally and giving the likes of French model Laetitia Casta a run for her money. Some of the world's top fashion photographers are from Perth and designers such as Michelle Jank and Aurelio Costarella are at the top of the game.

WA's music scene is vibrant, with original bands including The Sleepy Jackson, Eskimo Joe, End of Fashion, The Hampdens and Little Birdy making their mark. And movie star Heath Ledger and TV successes Melissa George and Rove McManus.

Elle boutique owner Wendy Marshall said Perth's fashion scene had always been better than Sydney's and as good as Melbourne.

But Perth had only just made it into the consciousness of those in the east. Now everyone was interested when something or someone new came out of the city.

"In reality we're not really anything like Paris," she said. "They have got hundreds and hundreds of years on us. But there are a lot of good things coming out of Perth fashion-wise."

Perth model talent scout Christine Fox said Perth was now on the map.

"We are just starting to shine and then industry is starting to take notice," she said. Fashion designer Michelle Jank said there was plenty of talk in Sydney about Perth. "It's huge," she said. "People are kind of intrigued because a lot of people haven't been to Perth."

Musicians and designers agreed Perth's isolation allowed creativity to flourish. But it sometimes meant leaving to find greater success.

Eskimo Joe drummer Stuart McLeod said the list of WA bands making waves over east was long. "It's almost becoming a bit of a bad joke, 'not another Perth band stealing all the limelight'," he said.

Premier Geoff Gallop always rejected the Dullsville tag but relished the new comparison.

"I'm very pleased that at last the creative talents of Western Australia are getting recognised," he said.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040531/features/tw-features-home-sto124738.html

Money for the Box
A heritage building that has been adapted to a modern use in the City’s thriving west end is the winner of the City of Perth’s inaugural Heritage Award.

The award went to what is now known as the Box Building at 918 Hay Street.

The original building, which now houses a restaurant and bar, was built about 1920. It was built in the inter-war, free classical style and has been converted without any major changes to existing internal spaces.

The City regards the building as a representative example of a commercial building constructed in Perth during the period of development and consolidation following the gold boom.

A new residential component of the development has been set back from the original heritage building. The Council noted that the development was a good example of adaptation of a heritage place to a contemporary use.

The Heritage Award is one part of the City of Perth’s Heritage Incentives Program which is designed to encourage conservation of heritage places in the city.

The award, to be presented every two years, is valued at $10,000. It recognises excellence in heritage building design and conservation.

As part of the incentive program, the City has also made available heritage grants of up to $20,000.

Grants may be awarded to people undertaking conservation plans or restoration work to heritage buildings in the city. Applicants must also demonstrate that they have suffered a negative economic impact through their property being heritage-listed.

The Council has approved the first heritage grant being made to the Tower House at 115 Francis Street, Northbridge, for a conservation plan and maintenance works.

The Tower House, which was built about 1874, is one of only a few surviving examples of a pre-gold rush town house in the City of Perth. It is designed in the Victorian Italianate style in two-tone Flemish bond brickwork.

The two-storey residential house, with a tower, is associated with Joseph C Clarkson, pioneer of Western Australia’s pearling industry. It is now used as an office for architects.

The Council report noted that Tower House was an important, historic building and that a conservation plan would assist in guiding future restoration and conservation works to the building.

The Hellenic Community, which owns the building, will also contribute to the cost of the works. The building is in close proximity to the Greek Orthodox Cathedral.

Lord Mayor Dr Peter Nattrass congratulated the award winner and grant recipient and invited owners of heritage buildings in the city to apply for grants in the next financial year.

"Perth has some wonderful heritage places and owners should be encouraged to conserve their buildings without being disadvantaged financially for doing so," he said.

Two other buildings – the Melbourne Hotel and St Andrew’s Church – were highly commended in the Heritage Award.
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title=Money+for+the+Box&date=2004-06-03

Cairns-Broome drive in NW tourism thrust
Government officials trying to negotiate more frequent cross-continental flights and new hotels will today launch a Cairns to Broome tourist route in a new push to open up WA's North-West.

Tourism operators at this week's Australian Tourism Exchange - an annual event where international operators survey the market and sign an estimated $2 billion worth of contracts for the next year - said WA was winning a bigger slice of the tourism pie thanks to a "sick of Sydney" syndrome in Australia's maturing market.

But the North-West, a potential goldmine, needed more flights and a high-quality hotel servicing the Ningaloo area, Tourism Minister Bob Kucera said yesterday.

"A lot of people have done the (Great Barrier) reef, the rock and the bridge," Mr Kucera said. "They are looking for a different, more natural experience, especially those from the South-East Asian and Japanese markets coming back on return trips."

Mr Kucera met Qantas representatives yesterday, arguing for more international flights into Perth and Darwin, and more flights within WA.

"We can't grow tourism unless we can bring people here," Mr Kucera said.

He has particularly asked for more direct Cairns-Perth flights, to lure a share of the South-East Asian market across from Queensland.

Talks are also under way with hotel chain Accor about a new development in Exmouth.

"We really need high-quality hotel accommodation for the Coral Coast, particularly Ningaloo," Mr Kucera said. "If you build it, they will come."

Today sees the launch of The Savannah Way, a new 3700km tourist route that links Broome and Cairns.

The Federal, WA, NT and Queensland governments have spent more than $500,000 on road signage, interpretive panels, a route brochure and a trip planning website.

Route highlights in WA include the Argyle Diamond mine, bushwalking trails near Wyndham and the "horizontal falls" in Talbot Bay near Derby.

The route caters for the more adventurous international tourist as well as the "grey nomads" and family travellers.

The Australian Tourism Exchange will be held in WA for the first time next year, at the new convention centre.

WA Tourism Commission marketing director Ross Gregory said the event, at a cost of $10 million, would give tourism in WA a massive boost.

Two-thirds of the expected 1000 international tourism operators will never have visited the State before, and hundreds have already indicated interest in "familiarisation tours" that will show them the State's tourist attractions.

Organisers say they expect a resulting big boost to the amount of business signed up to WA tourism operators
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040604/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto126056.html

Seven to bid on new WA power station
Western Power's long-overdue plan to build a new $350 million baseload power station is back on track after the electricity utility invited seven groups to submit indicative bids for the new plant.

Up to three coal proposals, including bids from WA majors Griffin Energy and Wesfarmers Energy, will go head to head with four gas-based projects in an attempt to win the lucrative contract which is aimed at trying to cure WA's electricity crisis.

Already a year behind its original program, Western Power has now promised to short-list bidders, based on "non-binding proposals", by August 6. Final bids must be lodged by June next year and the contract to build the plant will be awarded by September next year.

That will give the winning bidder just three years to complete the 300MW plant, a timetable that has already caused concern among some proponents.

Both gas and coal plants are expected to take up to three years to build, but it can take up to 12 months to lock in the approvals needed for coal-based projects.

Both Wesfarmers and Griffin have called on the State Government to help push approvals through so they are not disadvantaged.

Griffin executive general manager Wayne Trumble said meeting the building timetable would not be a problem but licences and environmental approvals were a concern.

"Meeting the timetable will need to involve some co-operation on the part of Government departments," he said.

Wesfarmers Premier Coal managing director Stewart Butel said the development and environmental approvals process needed to run parallel with the final bid process, so the winning bidder had all approvals locked in when it was named in September 2005.

"Provided that happens we will meet the timetable," he said.

Mr Butel said it had been indicated to Wesfarmers that a parallel process would occur.

Western Power originally said it needed 300MW of new electricity into the South-West grid by 2007 to meet expected demand and ensure reliable power supplies.

Tenders were called for the base-load plant in late 2002, but the issue became a drawn-out political power-play between Western Power and the State Labor Government.

Western Power now says it needs the power station by the end of 2008, mostly because of additional power expected to come from new players, such as Alinta's co-generation power plant.

The proponents, trimmed from 13 expressions of interest, include engineering group John Holland, which has indicated it plans a coal-based project.

Griffin Energy has joined forces with Japanese company Mitsui, while Wesfarmers has formed a consortium with another Japanese company, Electric Power Development Co.

Singaporean group SembCorp Utilities, which is a part-owner of a private power plant in Kwinana, is likely to use gas.

Canadian company Transalta Energy, which owns the Parkeston power station in Kalgoorlie, is also likely to use gas, as is the listed Transfield Services, which in October won the contract to build, own and operate a 260MW plant at Kemerton.

It is unclear whether final bidder Wambo Power Ventures, a joint venture between investment banking group Babcock & Brown and ERM Power, will use coal or gas.

Western Power said it would buy the electricity from the new baseload power station for up to 25 years, although variations to the power purchase arrangements could be made according to changes in the market conditions.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040604/business/tw-business-home-sto126026.html

Minister to lead WA delegation to Bio-Tech 2004 in San Francisco
State Development Minister Clive Brown will lead a 16-company industry delegation to San Francisco this week for Bio2004, the world's largest biotechnology industry conference and exhibition.

More than 20,000 visitors are expected to attend the conference from industry, research organisations, pharmaceutical companies and the investment community.

Launching the mission today at Perth's Technology Park, Mr Brown said the conference and exhibition were important developments for one of Western Australia's emerging industries.

"The biotechnology sector is the fastest growing sector in the global economy, expanding at 16 per cent per annum to be currently valued at US$18.6billion," he said.

"In WA, the industry is comprised of over 140 companies and organisations that are becoming renowned around the world for their achievements in areas including biomedical, agricultural and environmental biotechnology.

"The Gallop Government sees the biotechnology industry as one that can play an important part in its strategy to diversify the State's economy and create jobs and opportunities for all Western Australians well into the future."

The Minister said that during the conference, he would be joined by Queensland Premier Peter Beattie, New South Wales Premier Bob Carr, South Australian Premier Mike Wran, Victorian Premier Steve Bracks, Federal Industry Minister Ian MacFarlane and New Zealand Science Minister Peter Hodgson to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to form the Australia-New Zealand Biotech Alliance.

The alliance would aim to:
-co-ordinate Australia and New Zealand's marketing of biotechnology capabilities
-foster collaboration on potential research projects
-minimise infrastructure duplication
-develop policy and strategies to communicate new developments in biotechnology to the broader community.

Mr Brown said the conference and MOU were the first of a number of State Government initiatives aimed at developing the WA biotechnology industry.

While in San Francisco, he would be promoting AusBiotech 2005, which will be held in Perth in November next year.

WA mansions on par with record price
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PERTH has at least three mansions worth more than a Sydney "castle", touted as the most expensive home on the Australian market.

Three Mosman Park properties are in the same league as the Sydney waterfront mansion, known as The Swifts, which is on sale for $35 million to $40 million.

The Clough family's property in Mosman Park could fetch $40 million on block value alone. Two others – a mansion owned by mining magnate Mark Creasy and an estate owned by iron-ore heiress Angela Bennett – sit on land each valued at $35 million or more.

Rose Porteous's stately Prix d'Amour, on the market for $32 million, is also in the running.

Sydney's The Swifts is a "castellated gothic revival" house on 1.2ha in exclusive Darling Point. Built in 1880, it has 50 rooms including 15 bedrooms and a ballroom bigger than the one at Sydney's Government House.

The National Trust listed the property in 1971. Nursing home magnate Doug Moran bought the property for $12 million in 1997 and spent $14 million restoring it.

But you don't need a heritage-listed "castle" to have a $30 million home in Perth – uninterrupted, elevated, north-facing river views on a healthy swag of land will do it.

The 10,000sq m Clough family property, with six homes valued at up to $3 million each, is top of the Perth real estate pile.

Mrs Bennett's Saunders St spread includes a grand mansion and two guesthouses on 9000sq m. According to Adam Lenegan, of Claremont real estate agency Mack Hall and Associates, the block value alone is $35 million.

Mrs Bennett, whose father, Peter Wright, was the partner of late iron-ore magnate Lang Hancock, is rumoured to have spent $20 million carving the complex into the hillside.

But if she were to put the property on the market, the asking price wouldn't come to $55 million.

"On the market it would go close to block value," Mr Lenegan said.

He said land values in Saunders St ranged from $3000 a square metre on the high side to $5000 to $6000 a square metre for land with direct river access.

Mr Creasy has a similar-sized property which would fetch a similar price. Mrs Porteous's 8117sq m Prix d'Amour will be carved up if it doesn't sell soon, according to her husband William Porteous, an Acton agent.

Sydney holds the record for the most expensive house sale. Altona, a harbourfront mansion in Point Piper, sold in 2002 for $28.5 million. Perth's record is $9.5 million for Alan Bond's former home in Watkins Rd, Dalkeith, in 1999.
http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,9754957%255E2761,00.html

Any Regular To the CBD Or Fremantle Will Know This Guy
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Emergency Services Levy provides for $15million of new equipment
Volunteer emergency services will again benefit from the Emergency Services Levy with $15million in grants announced this week.

Emergency Services Minister Michelle Roberts said the grants were allocated to 128 local governments around Western Australia to fund their bush fire brigades and State Emergency Service (SES) units.

Mrs Roberts said the levy would provide 35 new fire appliances, 27 refurbished fire appliances and 11 new SES vehicles. In addition, 10 new volunteer fire stations would be built and repairs or extensions carried out to 14 SES buildings.

"The Emergency Services Levy has removed the onus away from local governments and volunteers to pay for life-saving equipment," the Minister said.

"Without the levy, volunteers would have spent hundreds of hours fundraising. In fact, it would have been years before some brigades and units could afford what they need.

"The levy has freed-up the volunteers' time so they can concentrate on what they do best - helping the community."

Mrs Roberts said almost $12million was allocated to bush fire brigades and $3million to volunteer SES units to fund essential operating costs and capital equipment purchases.

The levy was providing excellent support to regional WA in particular.

"Volunteers are the life line of regional towns and remote communities and without them, not only local residents are vulnerable, but also the thousands of city people who travel to regional areas for work and holidays," the Minister said.

"Last year, the levy funded the replacement of many old fire appliances, some dating back to the 1960s, as well as new protective clothing, - in some cases, the first with which these volunteer firefighters had ever been issued.

"While we can't fix everything immediately, the new grants will continue to dramatically improving emergency services throughout WA, particularly in regional areas."

WA leads way in top public floats
Six WA floats have jostled on to the list of top 10 best performing IPOs, though market analysts warn the State's newly listed small capital stocks are in for a shakier year ahead.

According to Deloitte, WA offered almost twice the number of floats of any State in 2003-04, with 65 of the 153 floats that hit the boards coming from the State.

Savvy investors who bought into one of these six new floats have made an average return of 120 per cent, while those who invested in four of Australia's five biggest floats have not yet realised the issue price.

Dalkeith based olive oil company Piquant Blue was the only top WA float not tied to the resource sector, and charged into the public arena to become the nation's sixth best performer.

Fortuitous investors watching the surging gold price pushed gold plays A1 Minerals and Hibernia Gold to dizzy heights and also helped explorer Medusa Mining double its listing price.

Roaring platinum and copper prices also boosted WA juniors NKWE Platinum and Tritton Resources into the suite of top new stocks.

Deloitte Corporate finance partner Tom Henderson said that while the WA market could take credit for the $1.184 billion float of the Multiplex Group, the small resource sector dominated the local pool.

Unlike the national capital raising average at $70.5 million, WA's small cap floats raised an average of only $7.3 million.

"While it is fantastic from the point of view of getting new companies out there, the following year these companies are going to be hungry and looking for capital," Mr Henderson said.

"Hopefully we are not creating a market where the companies are all shallow in terms of capital means."

Bell Potter analyst Matthew Ward said many of the small cap companies that had floated over the past year were devoid of earnings and cash flow and would be forced back to market to raise capital to fund further exploration or research.

But he warned the year to come would be a tighter investment environment.

"The cost of money is increasing with interest rates and bond yields," Mr Ward said.

"People are going to want more because they can get more from alternative investments, so the price for shares will come down.

"People are more risk averse at the moment."

Mr Henderson said investors who favoured floats with dividends had reaped far better share price returns compared to the market average.

IPOs that forecast a specific dividend moved on average 22 per cent, which was double the average of all floats in 2003-04.

While the amount of new equity raised in the 2003 financial year grew 155 per cent to $10.8 billion - almost double that raised during the dotcom boom - new listings have lost their momentum in the past few weeks.

Five of the 12 floats scheduled to list in the next three weeks on the Australian Stock Exchange will also come from WA.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040609/business/tw-business-home-sto126295.html

Perth housing market 'leading Aust'
The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA) says Perth's housing market remains strong despite sales figures being slightly down compared with this time last year.

While last month's figures are up 10 per cent on April, they are down about 8 per cent on May 2003.

REIWA spokesman Lino Iacomella says the fact that Perth has had a conservative property boom compared with the eastern states means the correction is less dramatic.

He says it now seems as though Perth is the leading market in Australia.

"The market is still a strong market and is now appearing to be one of the strongest if not the leading market in Australia," he said
http://www.abc.net.au/wa/news/200406/s1128537.htm

WA leads drop in jobless rate
Australia's unemployment rate fell to a 23-year low of 5.5 per cent in May, and economists believe the jobs market is solid enough to keep it at these low levels.

Data yesterday showed WA's jobless rate remained the lowest in the nation, falling to 5 per cent in May from the previous record low of a revised 5.1 per cent in April.

The fall in the unemployment rate to the lowest in a generation was achieved despite the loss of 41,100 jobs in May, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said.

The reason the unemployment rate could still fall even though the number of jobs also fell is that fewer people were looking for work.

Monthly job gains and losses tend to be volatile and economists prefer to focus on the overall trend, which shows employment has been rising by about 18,000 jobs a month in the first five months of the year.

Westpac tipped the jobs growth would slow.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20040611/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto126432.html

WA's unemployment rate the lowest of any other State
Western Australia's unemployment rate is at five per cent, the lowest in 26 years and well below the national average.

Consumer and Employment Protection Minister John Kobelke said the latest Labour Force Survey showed WA had the strongest job growth of any State.

"We now have a record 997,000 people in total employment in WA and the highest participation rate compared with all other States," Mr Kobelke said.

"May's participation rate was 66.4 per cent."

The Minister said over the 12 months to May 2004, almost 32,000 extra jobs had been created in WA, an increase of 3.3 per cent.

"More women moved into work last month, with an additional 3,100 full-time jobs and an extra 1,100 part-time positions," he said.

"Under the Gallop Government, WA has had an average unemployment rate of 6.3 per cent, almost one per cent lower than the average 7.2 per cent recorded by the previous Liberal government."

Today's unemployment data follows other recent signs of sustained confidence in the State's economy.

Retail sales increased by 8.5 per cent in the year to April 2004.

WA's population rose by 1.7 per cent in 2003 to a total of 1.97 million.

Full-time ordinary average earnings rose to $948.70 a week, up 6.4 per cent in four quarters to February, which was above the national figure of 5.3 per cent.

The Real Estate Institute of WA also says the latest real estate sales figures show Perth is leading the property market in Australia.

Health, education and training services boosted by broadband rollout
Premier Geoff Gallop today launched the rollout of new telecommunications services that will boost the delivery of health, education and training services throughout regional Western Australia.

Dr Gallop said the $68million project - Network WA - would deliver high-speed broadband services to 59 health and 249 education and training sites in 58 towns across the State's nine regions.

"Network WA will open up new horizons by delivering access to fast, efficient and high quality tele-health and e-learning services," the Premier said.

"It is a major step forward in overcoming the difficulty of delivering equitable Government services to the regions of WA."

Launching the project at Kalgoorlie Regional Hospital, Dr Gallop said the tele-health benefits of the increased bandwidth would include:

delivering more cost-effective videoconferencing services to rural and remote patients, thereby reducing the need for them to make frequent, costly and time-consuming trips to Perth for consultations with specialists;
enabling Perth-based consultants to undertake complex post-operative examinations of country patients who need to demonstrate movement (for example, burns patients and those recovering from joint replacement surgery who are undergoing physiotherapy, occupational therapy and rehabilitation), using the 'television picture quality' of broadband videoconferencing; and
providing regional health workers with online access to clinical records, laboratory test results and specialist clinical advice, including diagnosis, for patients in critical situations, with significantly reduced risk of delays due to congestion in the health network.
The launch at Kalgoorlie Regional Hospital included a 20-minute demonstration in real time of a neurological assessment and follow-up of a Kalgoorlie patient and a consultant neurologist at Royal Perth Hospital.

The educational benefits of Network WA include:

providing students with access to the full range of subjects delivered to any school or TAFE college in the Department of Education and Training's broadband network;
providing schools and parents with e-business services, such as online payments of excursion fees and access to online performance reporting for parents; and
providing teachers with improved access to academic and curriculum information.
"Teachers and students will be able to participate in subjects interactively, via the Internet, without having to be in the same classroom or even the same town," Dr Gallop said.

"The scope of the new learning opportunities are vast."

The State Government, through the Departments of Health and Education and Training, is contributing $60million over eight years to Network WA; the Federal Government has contributed $8million through the National Communications Fund.

The rollout, which is expected to create 59 new jobs during installation, will involve bandwidth upgrades ranging from 2Mbps (megabits per second) to 10Mbps. For many sites, this represents an 80-fold increase.

Under the agreement with contract winner, Telstra, broadband services will be available at the Government discount price to business, local government and the community.

The rollout, which started in April, is expected to be completed by June 2005.

Dr Gallop said a complete list of all sites which would get the new and improved broadband services could be found at http://www.egov.dpc.wa.gov.au


$335million boost to WA's health information technology system
The State Government will spend about $335million to upgrade Western Australia's clinical health information technology (IT) system.

Health Minister Jim McGinty has finalised plans for the reconfiguration of the public IT infrastructure, which will improve and expand metropolitan and regional health care technological services.

Work on implementing the new system could start in the 2005-06 financial year, with about $70million earmarked for the first four years of the upgrade.

Health Parliamentary Secretary Sue Ellery said the effective management of health system data and information was crucial to satisfactory clinical practice.

"The planned new clinical information system will be fundamental for health professionals to access accurate and relevant data at the point of care and ensure continuity of care for their clients," Ms Ellery said.

"We can expect major improvements in critical areas such as clinical practice support and decision-making, patient safety, quality of care and financial/administrative management and accountability.

"Our aim is to provide tools and services that directly support clinicians in patient care in both hospital and community care settings, consistent with the recommendations of the Health Reform Committee Report."

The new system will allow key patient health data to be available at multiple health care locations, increase the use of Telehealth to improve the delivery of health services to rural areas and provide Wide Area Network (WAN) broadband capacity.

Ms Ellery said the State Government also planned to improve the system through the electronic ordering of pathology and radiology tests and prescriptions.

"This will enhance safety and quality of health care provision as well as reduce unnecessary or duplicate tests or prescriptions," she said.

"We have additional plans to provide patient discharge summary information to public and private practitioners in a standard electronic format.

"Electronic patient records will be central to our plans to provide sound patient care and improvements in safety, quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery, while still protecting privacy and security."

Ms Ellery said in addition to the information management changes, new broadband services would soon be delivered to hospitals in 53 regional WA towns.

"Access to the new infrastructure by other health units in selected towns will mean a significant bandwidth upgrade for two-thirds of the Government's rural wide area network (WAN)," she said.

"This will provide a significant boost to the Government's current Telehealth services, and allow for enhanced remote patient consultations with clinicians and other health professionals based in either regional centres or the metropolitan area."

Work on the new broadband infrastructure has already begun and is scheduled for completion in February 2005.

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